The Lagos High Court in Ikeja has rejected a suit filed by Mr. Joseph Aloba, the father of late singer Mohbad. Mr. Aloba was seeking to overturn the legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), which led to the release of Naira Marley, Sam Larry, and others who were suspected in connection with Mohbad’s death.
Justice Taiwo Olatokun delivered the ruling on Wednesday, saying that the Attorney General had acted within the law in deciding whether or not to prosecute those involved. The judge also made it clear that the powers of the Attorney General and DPP could not be questioned, and so Mr. Aloba’s requests could not be granted.
With this, the court dismissed the case brought by Mohbad’s father. Mr. Aloba, who was present in court along with some supporters of his late son, expressed disappointment at the ruling.
While the DPP’s legal team did not comment on the outcome, Mr. Aloba’s lawyer, Wahab Shittu (a Senior Advocate of Nigeria), said they would appeal the court’s decision.
The suit was filed on behalf of the Aloba family, with the DPP and the Lagos State Attorney General named as the respondents. One of the major reasons for filing the suit, according to Shittu, was that Mr. Aloba was not given a fair hearing during the process.
Mr. Aloba also argued that the DPP acted too soon by releasing Naira Marley and Sam Larry before the Coroner’s inquest into Mohbad’s death was concluded. He felt that releasing these suspects early weakened the credibility of the investigation, especially since some of them were mentioned during the inquest.
In a counter argument submitted on June 24, a legal officer in the DPP’s office, Ayinde Ibrahim, stated that the suspects were not cleared of wrongdoing — they were only discharged, not acquitted.
The DPP’s office urged the court to reject Mr. Aloba’s application. They explained that their legal advice was based on the full criminal case file, which neither the Coroner nor Mr. Aloba had access to. After reviewing all available evidence, the DPP concluded there was no proof directly or indirectly linking Naira Marley, Sam Larry, Prime Boy, or Opere Babatunde to Mohbad’s death. This was the reason behind their release.
As it stands, the court’s decision has left Mr. Aloba unsatisfied, but his legal team is ready to continue the fight through an appeal.
