The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has approved a petition by the family of late singer Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, seeking a fresh and comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The development was disclosed by the family’s lawyer, Oladayo Ogungbe, in a statement dated September 29, 2026. The lawyer clarified that the police re-investigation is already ongoing and is separate from a recent suit dismissed by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to Ogungbe, the Aloba family submitted its petition to the IGP on April 14, 2026, and it was received at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on May 7.
The petition raised concerns about what the family described as inconsistencies in the earlier investigative process and requested a comprehensive forensic reconstruction of the circumstances surrounding Mohbad’s death.
The petition was subsequently approved by Disu and forwarded to the Lagos State Police Command for immediate action, according to the family’s lawyer.
The family was later informed that the matter had been assigned to officers of the Special Enquiry Bureau for further investigation.
Ogungbe said a representative of the family had already been invited by the new investigative team and had engaged with the officers handling the case.
“The family’s representative has since been invited and has engaged with the new team of investigators assigned to the matter.”
He added that the family had continued to follow up with the investigators and remained involved in the new process.
The clarification followed the September 25, 2026 dismissal of Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/363/2026 by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The suit was filed by the Break the Silence Foundation, which had sought to compel the police to reopen investigations into Mohbad’s death. It was not filed by the Aloba family.
The family therefore stressed that the court case should not be confused with the separate petition it submitted directly to the IGP.
“The Aloba Family therefore does not wish the public to conflate the dismissal of that suit with the separate investigative process already commenced pursuant to the Family’s petition to the Inspector-General of Police.”
The family maintained that the court’s dismissal did not terminate the police investigation arising from its petition.
The Aloba family also said it would continue cooperating with investigators by providing relevant information, documents, witnesses and other materials that could assist the investigation.
It urged the police to conduct the process with diligence, independence and professionalism, while examining all relevant persons and circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.
Mohbad died on September 12, 2023, at the age of 27. His death generated widespread public concern and led to the exhumation of his remains for an autopsy. The circumstances surrounding his death have remained the subject of continuing public interest.
The family said it was not seeking to prejudge the outcome of the fresh investigation or engage in what it described as “trial by media”.
Instead, it said its objective was to have a credible, comprehensive and transparent investigation capable of establishing the facts surrounding the singer’s death.
“The re-investigation is ongoing. The Aloba Family remains fully engaged. The pursuit of justice for Mohbad continues.”
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