We were greeted on Sept 12th 2023 of the untimely passage of Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, a Nigerian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Proffessionally, he was known as Mohbad.
After the death of the young but very talented afrobeat music artist, the social media space was awashed with different kinds of opinions concerning his death, and as usual, the herd mentality concept which has hindered critical analysis of thematic issues came into play. His former label boss, Naira Marley, was accused of having a hand in his death. Unfounded accusations based on mere allegations condemned Naira Marley, judged him, convicted him and even sentenced him for the perceived crime even when Mohbad had left his record label since last year. The people fell on the Danger of a Single Story without bothering to hear from Naira Marley himself or from the security agent that is charged with the responsibility of investigating accusations.
But let us look at what we do know. Mohbad was a 27 year old man who was being partly influenced by drugs no matter what accusations we put on the table of Naira Marley. In an interview, shortly before his death, by one of the anchors of an FM station I watched which I believe is based in Lagos, I noticed the side effect of elicit drugs was taking a toll on his life. His speech was slurry, he was incoherent and he could hardly hold himself together. He claimed he was no longer getting shows because whenever they call his former record label, show promoters would be told he was not ‘well’. And from what I saw in the video of the interview, he really wasn’t well, but to what extent I cannot say. He was however then in need of an intervention.
The use of these recreational drugs is widespread among the youth especially musicians, and the effect on the population can only be imagined. However, let us leave that for another discuss.
In February 2022, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, arrested Mohbad and others at a home in the push Lekki area of Lagos for the possession of illegal substances including MDMA and cannabis, otherwise known as weed.
What exactly is MDMA? According to National Institute of Drug Abuse, MDMA is 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, also know as meth, and it is a synthetic drug that alters mood and perception (awareness of surrounding objects and conditions). It is chemically similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens, producing feelings of increased energy, pleasure, emotional warmth, and distorted sensory and time perception. Some of the side effects of MDMA is that it increases heart rate and blood pressure, which is risky with heart or blood vessel problems. It also affects mood, appetite and induces insomia, that is sleeplessness. It causes muscle cramping, involuntary teeth clenching and blurred vision. Users may also experience irritability, impulsiveness, aggression, depression, anxiety, memory and attention problems. High doses of MDMA can affect the body’s ability to regulate temperature. This can lead to a spike in body temperature that can occassionally result in liver, kidney or heart failure or even death.
After two years, Mohbad left Malian Records owned by Naira Marley. He accused Naira Marley of assualt and that he was going to have different manager to handle his music business. After his death, it was reported that he had filed a police report in June this year alleging that one show promoter, Sam Larry, with a group of 15 armed men assaulted him and destroyed some of his properties. The Police later said Mohbad never came back after the petition to address the allegations. Rather, the said Sam Larry, also known as Samson Balogun, filed for defamation complaint against the seemingly troubled Mohbad.
According to the father of Mohbad, he was given an injection for an infection which he did not survive. Although the police have announced that it will investigate the circumstances behind his death, no one has been arrested yet as against what some have been reporting.
A lot of social media users have been accusing Naira Marley for Mohbad’s death, which I find unkind, unnecessary and premature. I think Nigerians are tilting towards the culture of uncreative thinking – that attitude of easily falling for manipulated untruth, believing on a single story, captured by half truth, and perhaps enraptured in the ‘force of lies’.
Did we take our time to hear from Naira Marley or Sam Larry before we passed our unsure judgements? What were the evidence we had that equipped us to go out there asking social media users to be signing petitions against Naira Marley even after he had employed the police to do dilligent investigation over the death of his former signee? As an adult, can we hang all the demons that trailed Mohbad on the neck of Naira Marley? What specifically was the perceived crime of the record label boss of which we have hurriedly, like the mob, condemned him to destruction?
Every human has his own demon seated on his shoulders. If you allow the demon to lead you to perdition, the excorcism might not be guaranteed. We are captains in our ships. We cannot blame anyone for our personalized individuated misfortunes because we had options. I recall the passage of Amy Winehouse, the late British singer and songwriter who also died at the age of 27 of drug and alcohol addition in 2011. Her father could not help him. She refused to be committed into a rehabilitation center.
We might not fully know the circumstances behind the health and passage of the very raw talent, Mohbad, sadly, but I wish we do not continue in the path of destroying other characters based on unfounded conspiracy theories and allegations. This is a sad but necessary topic, and might be disturbing or upsetting to some readers, particularly because it involves death, addiction, and grief particularly because he was young and very promising.
Note Below;
Can we say Mohbad can be categorized or has joined the 27 Club without going the ways of superstition? The “27 Club” refers to celebrities, mostly musicians, who died at the age of 27. This coincidence adds a layer of superstition, awe, intrigue and infamy to the conspiracy theory. Members of the club include: Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse, Robert Johnson, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and more. These are big-name musicians who are a part of the (dreaded) 27 Club. Many of them died of reported drug overdoses that included partying and such lifestyles.
May Mohbad’s soul find peace and quietude.