Nearly three years after the death of singer Ilerioluwa “Mohbad” Aloba, the dispute over a DNA test to determine the paternity of his only son, Liam, continued to linger.
The DNA test, which has been at the centre of the dispute within the singer’s family, remained unresolved as the singer’s father, Joseph Aloba, refused to back down.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that 18 days ago, he appealed to the Lagos State Government to select an appropriate hospital for DNA testing.
This followed his expression of disappointment and an allegation of betrayal after Alpha Bio Labs and Advanced Histopathology Laboratory Limited, nominated by Wunmi, Mohbad’s widow, and the state government’s welfare officer, stated that they had not conducted the DNA test.
Mr Aloba nominated the DNA Diagnostics Centre in Fairfield, Ohio, United States.
Now, Mr Aloba has sought President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the ongoing legal dispute.
Mr Aloba, a musician, who had earlier said the situation saddened him, urged Mr Tinubu to assist his family, alleging that the court had mismanaged the process.
Cry for help
Speaking during an interview with blogger Adebukola, the carpenter said: “I want to plead with the whole world, not the Lagos State Government alone. I have been calling on President Bola Tinubu, saying I want to carry out a DNA test on my late son, Mohbad, so that I can bury him. He was young, and burying him should not have taken this long.
“If Mohbad is buried, how will I conduct the DNA test? I want to conduct a test to confirm whether Liam is my grandson. It is not right for them to have killed Mohbad and still taken his body away from me. They are now supporting my enemies in Mohbad’s death case.”
Enter the welfare officer
Furthermore, Mr Aloba alleged that the state government’s welfare officer deliberately selected a fake testing centre to prevent him from determining Liam’s paternity.
He also alleged complicity within the state judiciary and promised to return to his hometown after securing justice.
“God, do not let me regret coming to Lagos. Once I get justice in this Mohbad case, I will return to Ekiti; I will no longer live in Lagos. I do not understand the kind of power or plan the Lagos State Government has against me that led a welfare officer, who is like a secretary to the judge, to select a fake hospital for the DNA test.
“Someone who should be punished for such an act. I leave these people to God. Unless they do not have children”, said Mohbad’s father.
Background
In February, this newspaper reported that a Magistrate’s Court in Ikorodu had approved three overseas laboratories to conduct a DNA test, several months after initially ordering the procedure.
The approval followed an application filed by Mr Aloba, who sought a definitive determination of the child’s paternity.
Mohbad died on 12 September 2023, was buried the following day, and was later exhumed on 21 September for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
READ ALSO: ‘Choose appropriate hospital for DNA; allow me bury Mohbad’ — Late singer’s dad to Lagos govt
Since then, his father has been advocating justice to establish the cause of his death, a move that has led to a legal dispute.
At the centre of the dispute is the paternity of Liam, Mohbad’s only son.
Mr Aloba has granted several interviews, repeatedly challenging Liam’s paternity and insisting that a DNA test is necessary to establish the truth.
He also maintained that Wunmi was never legally married to his late son.