The management of the National Medical Services (NMS) Laboratories in Pennsylvania has refuted claims made by the Lagos State Government that a toxicology test to determine the cause of death of Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, was conducted at their facility.
NMS Labs’ response followed inquiries by PUNCH Metro, which sought to verify the circumstances surrounding the musician’s death. This investigation comes amidst public protests against a pathologist’s claim that an autopsy could not determine Mohbad’s cause of death due to the decomposition of his body.
Previously, the counsel for the Lagos State Government, O. Akinde, had informed the Coroner’s Court in Ikorodu in November 2023 that a toxicology test related to Mohbad’s death was carried oűut in the United States. Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, reiterated this claim in a February 2024 interview on the Abuja-based Brekete Family online programme, stating that the test was performed at NMS Labs in Pennsylvania.
Omotoso had explained, “The matter is being handled by the state DNA and Forensic Centre, but they have affiliate centres. So, if there is an emergency like this one that we have, they will not say they cannot handle it. So, there are three of them in the US and the one handling this particular one is the NMS in Pennsylvania, USA.”
According to reports, the test results were received in Nigeria in April 2024 and provided to a pathologist for interpretation. The pathologist later told the coroner’s court that the autopsy could not ascertain the cause of death due to decomposition.
During PUNCH Metro’s investigation, the locations of NMS Labs at 3701 Welsh Road, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and its two crime labs on Stratford Avenue, Willow Grove, and Grand Prairie, Texas, were verified. An inquiry sent to the labs asked for confirmation of whether a toxicology test for Mohbad had been conducted there.
Responding on May 17, Esther Dede, Client Services Associate, Forensics Division at NMS Labs, denied the claim, stating, “Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient.” She noted that HIPAA privacy regulations require authorization from the submitting agency to release such information.
When PUNCH contacted, Commissioner Omotoso said that the information about NMS Labs was provided by the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre. “This was what I was told by the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre officials who took the sample there. We are dealing with the officials of the centre; they have three other labs that they have affiliations with. If they have an emergency, they can go to any of the three labs. I asked which particular one did they go to and they answered that it was that one. That means I will have to go and check again because that was what I was told.”
Mohbad, a former signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, died at the age of 27 on September 12, 2023. His death has sparked significant controversy on social media. The Lagos State Police Command established a 13-man special investigation team on September 18, 2023, to probe the singer’s death, leading to the arrests of Naira Marley and socialite Balogun Eletu, also known as Sam Larry. Mohbad’s body was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
