The family of the late Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad, has voiced their disappointment and frustration with the police investigation into his death, accusing the authorities of complicity and a lack of transparency.
In a statement, the family’s representative, Emmanuel Oroko, criticised the police for relying on witnesses’ views without conducting a thorough investigation.
The family also alleged that the police failed to cooperate with the family’s independent autopsy and toxicology test, and refused to provide access to evidence and items taken from the crime scene.
The family has petitioned the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission to remove the officers in charge of the case, citing apparent mishandling of the investigation.
The family’s statement reads: “On all fronts of the investigation, the police officers who investigated the murder of the late singer exhibited overt complicity in the narrative.
“The police relied on witnesses’ views to reach legal conclusions. They failed to tell us what investigation they carried out and what they discovered.
“Secondly, when the court granted us an order to conduct an independent autopsy and toxicology test, the police refused to cooperate with us.
“Based on our interaction with the forensic pathologists and their requirements, we wrote the police to give access to the forensic experts to see items taken from the scene of the crime including notes made by them.
“All these will help the forensic experts to have a better view of what happened and also form a reasonable conclusion after considering all facts and evidence before them.
“We petitioned the Inspector General of Police and the Police Service Commission to remove the officers in charge of the case because of their apparent mishandling of the investigation into the death of Mohbad.”
“The Police Service Commission is the civilian oversight body established under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 for the Nigeria Police. Its powers include appointment, promotion, discipline and dismissal of erring police officers except the Inspector General of Police. We are yet to get a response from them,” he added.
