Officers of the Nigeria Police Force, Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State, on Monday questioned Joseph Aloba, father of the late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, also known as Mohbad, over a petition filed by Oba Saheed Elegushi.
The head of the Aloba legal team, Monisola Odumosu, in a statement on Tuesday, said the petition borders on cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and criminal defamation.
According to Odumosu, the allegation came on the heels of an interview granted by Aloba recently.
The statement read in part, “Mr Aloba was invited by the police and led to the police station by the representatives of his legal team, Teri Wellington and Monisola Odumosu. The petition was written by Oba Saheed Elegushi who alleged that during one of Mr. Aloba’s interviews with a London-based blogger, he was criminally defamed.
“During the interview, Mr. Aloba granted the London-based blogger, it was alleged that he said, ‘… his son was bullied and killed on the instruction of Oba Elegushi and that it was one Sam Larry that was sent to do the job…”
According to the statement, Aloba reiterated that defaming or performing any act that constituted or could lead to cyberbullying and cyberstalking Oba Elegushi wasn’t his intention, as he was trying to seek justice for his late son.
Odumosu added that the late singer’s father further clarified that he did not have any proof to support the allegation against the monarch except the petition written by his late son and other phone conversations he had with him.
While noting that the monarch, who was present at the meeting, demanded a retraction, Odumosu clarified that Aloba was never arrested or detained.
“In fairness to Oba Elegushi, he only demanded the retraction of the defaming statements made by Mr Aloba on social media.
“Mr. Aloba was never arrested or detained. He was granted bail without stress. It is important to note that Mr. Aloba is still grieving the death of his son. He just lost a single star in the family firmament.
“Any grieving parent may on the spur of the moment make statements that may tend to be unreasonable. We only need to understand the geographical circumstances giving rise to his utterances.”
Mohbad died at the age of 27, on September 12, 2023, with circumstances surrounding his death sparking controversies on social media.