A rising figure in Afrobeats in Nigeria, Mohbad died in September, at the age of 27, in circumstances that are still unclear. His relations with artists Naira Marley, owner of the record company with which the young Nigerian artist was signed, and Sam Larry were said to be strained.
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Afrobeats stars Naira Marley and Sam Larry, suspected of being involved in the death of Nigerian singer Mohbad, were released on bail after spending several weeks in detention, the spokesperson for the Afrobeats said on Saturday, November 18. Lagos police.“They were released yesterday around 5 p.m. after fulfilling all bail conditions set by the court.”this spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, told AFP, without giving further details.
A bail of 20 million naira (more than 22,000 euros) was set by the court for their release, according to local media. ” As part of their bail conditions, the defendants must surrender their passports and report weekly to the State Department of Criminal Investigation.” of Lagos, the court had indicated.
Strained relations between the two stars and Mohbad
Naira Marley, alias Azeez Fashola, and Balogun Samson, better known as Sam Larry, were summoned by the police a few days apart between September and October as part of an investigation into the death of singer Mohbad. They were then placed in detention. There were strong tensions between the two men and Mohbad, who all worked in the music industry.
Mohbad, 27, whose real name is Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, author of successful titles like Feel good, died on September 12 in a hospital in Lagos. The still unclear circumstances of his death have sparked a wave of emotion in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa. Several of his fans and relatives said the singer had been harassed and physically threatened for months by figures in the powerful music industry.
Mohbad’s career took off in 2019 after signing his contract with rapper Naira Marley’s powerful record label “Marlian music”. But their collaboration ended in 2022 following several disagreements. Naira Marley announced on X (formerly Twitter, where he is followed by nearly 5 million people) “returned to Lagos to help the authorities carry out the ongoing investigation” while he was abroad. A total of five people were arrested in connection with this case.