Nigerian singer Azeez Fashola, widely known as Naira Marley, has publicly denied any involvement in the death of his former signee, Ilerioluwa Aloba, better known as Mohbad.
In a video released on Tuesday via the Marlian Music YouTube channel, Marley addressed the ongoing accusations that have trailed him since Mohbad’s passing in September 2023, which sparked national outrage and protests.
“I’m doing this video for my fans, the Marlians around the world, especially those who believed in me but still had doubts,” he said.
“No, I didn’t bully him. And I didn’t kill him.”
Naira Marley opened up about his rise to fame after returning to Nigeria in 2018, his legal troubles with the EFCC in 2019, and how his popularity grew so quickly that living in Nigeria became difficult, despite having roots in the UK.
Addressing the events leading up to Mohbad’s death, he referenced several controversies, including:
- The NDLEA incident,
- An attempted suicide,
- Disputes with his former manager,
- A lawsuit against a music distributor,
- And ongoing issues involving Sam Larry.
“Even after all that happened, Mohbad told people he still wanted to come and apologize,” Marley revealed.
“But I didn’t know he was going to die. If I had known, I might have let him come. But at that time, it was all just too much for me.”
He also insisted he was out of the country when Mohbad passed away. “I was in Amsterdam. I’ll even show videos with timestamps,” he said, explaining that the trip was primarily to spend time with his children.
Describing the moment he heard about Mohbad’s death, Marley recalled, “Someone said Mohbad is dead while we were eating.”
“I thought it was a joke or a publicity stunt. But soon, I saw Instablog say it was from an ear infection. Then on Twitter, boom, Naira Marley, you’ve finally killed him.”
His statement comes months after the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions cleared Marley, show promoter Sam Larry, and associate Primeboy of any involvement in Mohbad’s death following an investigation.
