The family of late Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has demanded the identity of a United States laboratory expected to conduct a DNA test to determine the paternity of his son, Liam, and called for the postponement of the exercise scheduled for Saturday.
The family said the test, scheduled for October 31 at the Mainland General Hospital/IDH, Yaba, Lagos, should be delayed until concerns over transparency, sample handling and compliance with a court order are addressed.
In a statement signed by the family head, Samuel Aloba, and sent to PUNCH Metro on Thursday, the family questioned whether the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, which it said was designated by a court order on May 5, 2026, would conduct the examination or merely collect samples for analysis abroad.
The family said the distinction was important because the parties needed clarity on how the court’s directive would be implemented.
It stated, “This raises a fundamental question that must be answered before the exercise proceeds: Is the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre itself going to conduct the examination contemplated by the court, or is it merely going to collect and dispatch samples to another laboratory?”
The family argued that if a foreign laboratory would conduct the analysis, the arrangement should be explained and, where necessary, submitted to the court for clarification.
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It also demanded the full name and address of the proposed US laboratory, evidence of its accreditation and technical competence, and details of the testing procedure.
Other requests include documentation of how samples would be collected, labelled, preserved, transported and examined, as well as a mechanism to verify that the samples collected in Lagos were the same ones received and analysed abroad.
The family said it had been informed that the identity of the proposed laboratory might be disclosed only to the court.
While acknowledging the need to protect legitimate confidential information, it argued that confidentiality should not undermine transparency and independent verification in a matter with significant legal and personal implications.
The family stressed that it was not seeking to frustrate the process or prevent a scientifically valid DNA test but wanted safeguards to ensure the reliability of the outcome.
It also expressed concern about possible interference, mishandling or manipulation of the process if adequate safeguards were not established.
However, the family clarified that it was not alleging that the proposed test had already been compromised or that manipulation had been established.
“In a matter as sensitive as Mohbad’s DNA, the result must not merely be announced; it must be demonstrably reliable. The integrity of the process must be capable of independent verification, from the point of sample collection to the final laboratory report,” the statement added.
The family further raised questions about the handling of biological samples during the post-mortem examination conducted in connection with Mohbad’s death.
It questioned the role of the pathologist involved in sample collection during the coroner’s inquest and claimed that information from its enquiries suggested that a laboratory to which samples from the earlier process were purportedly sent had not received them.
According to the family, the laboratory had also allegedly received no specimen registered in the name of Ilerioluwa Promise Aloba.
It emphasised that these claims represented its account of the matter and required clarification and verification, noting that they were not court findings or independently established evidence of wrongdoing by any individual or institution.
The family reiterated its support for a credible DNA examination to resolve the paternity dispute but insisted that the identity of the testing laboratory and the chain of custody of the samples must be clearly documented.
It called on the relevant authorities to address its concerns, provide the requested information and ensure that the exercise complies with the court’s order and accepted forensic procedures.
The family consequently requested that the examination be postponed until the outstanding issues were resolved, adequate notice was given to all parties and their legal representatives, and further court directions were obtained where necessary.
Mohbad died at the age of 27 on September 12, 2023. Following his death, the Lagos State Police Command established a 13-member special investigation team to investigate the circumstances surrounding his passing.
In 2024, reports indicated that the singer’s father had approached the coroner’s court in Ikorodu to seek an investigation into the cause of death and later pursued a DNA test to resolve the dispute over Liam’s paternity.
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