Coroner Orders Prosecution Of Nurse Over Mohbad’s Death, Faults Police Inaction

A Lagos coroner’s court has ordered the prosecution of auxiliary nurse Feyisayo Ogedengbe over her alleged role in the death of singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.

Magistrate C.A. Shotobi, who presided over the inquest in Ikorodu, issued the directive on Friday, ruling that Ogedengbe unlawfully administered the injection that led to Mohbad’s death.

“The nurse, Mrs Feyisayo Ogedengbe, administered the injections that led to the singer’s death,” Shotobi stated. “She was not a qualified nurse, and the injections ought not to have been administered by her.”

The court found that Mohbad died from complications resulting from the injections, noting that Ogedengbe was neither a registered nurse nor a licensed medical practitioner. It also criticized regulatory lapses that allowed an unqualified individual to practice without oversight.

The magistrate further ordered an investigation into the police’s alleged failure to act on a petition filed by Mohbad before his death, describing it as potential official negligence.

Mohbad, a former signee of Naira Marley’s Marlian Music, died on September 12, 2023, at the age of 27.

In October 2023, the Lagos State Police Command identified Ogedengbe as the prime suspect, revealing that she administered three injections—tetanus toxoid, paracetamol, and Ceftriaxone—at the singer’s Lekki residence.

Commissioner of Police Idowu Owohunwa explained that Mohbad reacted to the drugs, began vomiting, developed goosebumps, and convulsed before being rushed to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

“She administered the doses and went back home on the 12th, and he died hours later,” Owohunwa said.

In February 2024, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recommended that Ogedengbe and Ayobami Sadiq, a friend who brought her to Mohbad, be prosecuted for recklessness and criminal negligence under Section 251 of the Lagos State Criminal Law.

The DPP, however, cleared Naira Marley, show promoter Sam Larry, and singer Primeboy, stating that none had any involvement in Mohbad’s death.

With the coroner’s ruling now in place, the DPP is expected to formally begin legal proceedings against the nurse.

Mohbad was initially buried in Ikorodu a day after his death but was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy. The Lagos State Government later declared the autopsy results inconclusive.