The management of the National Medical Services Laboratories (NMS Labs) in Pennsylvania, USA, has denied claims by the Lagos State Government that a toxicology test was conducted at its facility to determine the cause of death of Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
The assertion from NMS Labs follows inquiries made by Punch correspondent, who embarked on a fact-finding mission regarding the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.
This comes after some public protests against the statement made by a pathologist during a Coroner’s Court session on May 15, stating that an autopsy could not ascertain the cause of Mohbad’s death due to the decomposition of his corpse.
Previously, the Lagos State government, represented by counsel O. Akinde, informed the Coroner’s Court that a toxicology test had been conducted in the USA. Supporting this claim, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, mentioned on a live program that the toxicology test was carried out at NMS Labs in Pennsylvania.
However, during the fact-finding mission, our correspondent verified the existence of NMS Labs’ locations in Pennsylvania and Texas. An inquiry was sent to NMS Labs to confirm whether a toxicology test related to Mohbad’s death had been conducted at their facility.
In response, Esther Dede, Client Services Associate of the Forensics Division at NMS Labs, refuted the claim, stating, “Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient.”
When approached for further comments, Commissioner Omotoso stated that he had provided information based on what he was told by officials from the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, suggesting that they may have taken the sample to one of their affiliated labs.
Mohbad, aged 27, passed away on September 12, 2023, under controversial circumstances. Following his death, the Lagos State Police Command established a 13-man special investigation team to probe the incident, which included the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial socialite Sam Larry. Mohbad’s body was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
(Punch)
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