A Sabo-Yaba Magistrate Court on Tuesday cleared Abdulazeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, and his associate, Samson Eletu (Sam Larry), of any criminal responsibility in the death of Nigerian artist Ilerioluwa Aloba, also known as Mohbad.
Instead, the court ruled that Nurse Feysayo Ogedengbe and Ayobami Sadiq should face prosecution for Mohbad’s death due to alleged recklessness and negligence.
Magistrate E. Kubeinje based the decision on legal advice from the Lagos State Department of Public Prosecution (DPP), signed by Dr. Babajide Martins. The DPP advised striking out the names of Naira Marley, Sam Larry, Owodunni Ibrahim (Primeboy), and Mohbad’s manager, Babatunde Opere, due to insufficient evidence linking them to Mohbad’s death.
However, the court acknowledged that Naira Marley, Sam Larry, Opere, and Primeboy had unlawfully assaulted Mohbad.
Still, it ruled that the assault did not rise to the level of criminal liability concerning his death.
It was also noted that Mohbad had previously withdrawn an assault complaint against Naira Marley on October 11, 2022, stating that the issue had been resolved amicably.
As a result, the court determined that the four individuals had no case to answer and ordered their release if they were still in custody.
Meanwhile, Ogedengbe and Sadiq will be prosecuted for reckless and negligent acts under Section 251(e) of the Lagos State Criminal Laws, 2015.
The case was adjourned until March 24 for further updates.