LAGOS, Nigeria — October 1, 2026: The family of late Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, widely known as Mohbad, says Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has approved its petition for a fresh investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. The family's lawyer, Oladayo Ogungbe, said the petition was forwarded to the Lagos State Police Command and assigned for further investigation.
The disclosure was reported early Thursday by PUNCH, which cited a statement from Ogungbe dated September 29. A second report by The Sun Nigeria carried the same family account later on October 1.
What is the latest development in the Mohbad case? Mohbad's family says the Inspector-General of Police approved its petition for a fresh and comprehensive investigation into the singer's death. The family says the matter was sent to the Lagos State Police Command and is separate from a recently dismissed Federal High Court case.
Family says petition was sent to Lagos police
According to the statement reported by PUNCH, the Aloba family submitted its petition to the Inspector-General of Police on April 14, 2026. The family's lawyer said it was received at Force Headquarters in Abuja on May 7 and later approved and forwarded to the Lagos State Police Command.
Ogungbe said the family had requested a more comprehensive review of the circumstances surrounding Mohbad's death and raised concerns about parts of the earlier investigative process. He said the family had since been informed that the matter had been assigned to officers of the Special Enquiry Bureau and that a family representative had engaged with the new investigators.
The account is significant because it comes only days after a separate Federal High Court case seeking to force a fresh police investigation was dismissed. Premium Times reported on September 26 that the Abuja court dismissed a case brought by the Registered Trustees of Break the Silence Foundation.
Mohbad's family says that court case was not filed by the Aloba family and should not be confused with its own petition to the police.
Court case and family petition are separate processes
The distinction matters because the dismissed Abuja suit and the family's petition followed different routes.
JUSTICE & CRIME
Mohbad Family Says IGP Approved Fresh Investigation Into His Death
Oct 1, 2026
Oct 1, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
LAGOS, Nigeria — October 1, 2026: The family of late Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, widely known as Mohbad, says Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu has approved its petition for a fresh investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. The family's lawyer, Oladayo Ogungbe, said the petition was forwarded to the Lagos State Police Command and assigned for further investigation.
The disclosure was reported early Thursday by PUNCH, which cited a statement from Ogungbe dated September 29. A second report by The Sun Nigeria carried the same family account later on October 1.
What is the latest development in the Mohbad case? Mohbad's family says the Inspector-General of Police approved its petition for a fresh and comprehensive investigation into the singer's death. The family says the matter was sent to the Lagos State Police Command and is separate from a recently dismissed Federal High Court case.
Family says petition was sent to Lagos police
According to the statement reported by PUNCH, the Aloba family submitted its petition to the Inspector-General of Police on April 14, 2026. The family's lawyer said it was received at Force Headquarters in Abuja on May 7 and later approved and forwarded to the Lagos State Police Command.
Ogungbe said the family had requested a more comprehensive review of the circumstances surrounding Mohbad's death and raised concerns about parts of the earlier investigative process. He said the family had since been informed that the matter had been assigned to officers of the Special Enquiry Bureau and that a family representative had engaged with the new investigators.
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The account is significant because it comes only days after a separate Federal High Court case seeking to force a fresh police investigation was dismissed. Premium Times reported on September 26 that the Abuja court dismissed a case brought by the Registered Trustees of Break the Silence Foundation.
Mohbad's family says that court case was not filed by the Aloba family and should not be confused with its own petition to the police.
Court case and family petition are separate processes
The distinction matters because the dismissed Abuja suit and the family's petition followed different routes.
The Break the Silence Foundation had gone to court seeking an order compelling the police to reopen the case. Earlier in 2026, the court had allowed the group to begin the judicial-review process. Channels Television reported in June that the case was aimed at compelling the Inspector-General of Police and Lagos police authorities to carry out another investigation.
The family's latest position is that its own petition to the IGP had already moved separately through police channels before the court decision.
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What previous inquiries found
Mohbad died on September 12, 2023. His death triggered widespread public attention, a police investigation, an exhumation and a coroner's inquest.
An autopsy did not establish a definitive cause of death. In May 2024, a forensic pathologist told the coroner that decomposition complicated efforts to determine the cause, according to Channels Television.
XTRAfrica previously covered the period when the public was awaiting the singer's autopsy findings in its report on Mohbad's expected autopsy results.
The Lagos coroner later delivered findings in July 2025. Premium Times reported that the coroner recommended the prosecution of the auxiliary nurse who treated Mohbad and also called for an investigation into why police did not act on a petition the singer had filed before his death.
Channels Television reported that the coroner did not find evidence establishing homicide, while describing the nurse's conduct as unlawful and professionally negligent.
Those findings do not by themselves resolve every dispute surrounding the case, which has continued to generate legal action and public argument.
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What happens next
If the family's account of the IGP's approval is confirmed by police, the next important development will be the scope of the Special Enquiry Bureau's work and whether investigators revisit evidence or witnesses from the earlier investigation.
The family has called for what it describes as a comprehensive forensic reconstruction of the circumstances surrounding Mohbad's death. It remains unclear which specific investigative steps will be repeated or expanded.
The case has remained closely watched across Nigeria's entertainment industry since Mohbad's death. XTRAfrica has also reported on later events involving figures who became connected to public debate around the case, including Sam Larry's recovery after a 2026 car crash.
For now, the newest verified development is that Mohbad's family has publicly said its petition was approved and transferred for further police action. A direct police confirmation would be the clearest next step in establishing the formal status and scope of the fresh investigation.
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