Mohbad: We responded to police enquiry Sept 28, says NDLEA

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it responded to the police enquiry on September 28, 2023, with respect to the alleged arrest and detention of the late singer Mohbad.

Mohbad died on September 12 and was buried the next day.

The circumstances surrounding his death have continued to stir up controversies on social media.

Shortly after his demise, a video of the singer lamenting on a hospital bed went viral on social media.

In the clip, Mohbad claimed he was given a substance to drink while in the custody of the agency.

During a press briefing on Friday, Idowu Owohunwa, the Lagos state police commissioner, said the law enforcement agency had asked the NDLEA to respond to Mohbad’s allegation.

Owohunwa said the NDLEA is yet to respond to the police inquiry.

“Also being awaited is the official response from the NDLEA on one of the viral videos containing allegations by the singer on his experience at the agency’s Lagos office sometimes in October 2022,” the Lagos CP had said.

But in a statement released on Saturday, the NDLEA stated that it replied to the inquiry on September 28, arguing that the police “received it on the same day”.

In the statement, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA spokesperson, said Mohbad was never arrested by the agency.

The agency also attached an acknowledgment copy of their response to the police to the statement.

“Following media enquiries on the claim by the Lagos state police command at a press conference on Friday 6^th October 2023 that it was yet to get a response from the NDLEA on social media allegations bordering on alleged arrest and detention of the late artiste, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, aka MohBad, the Agency will like to state that indeed its response was sent and received by the police since Thursday 28th September 2023, the statement reads.

“Indeed, to show the seriousness with which the Agency treated the issue, our formal response dated Thursday 28^th September 2023 was sent by flight to Lagos, delivered and received by the police same Thursday 28^th September. The summary of our response is reproduced below for the benefit of the inquiring public.”

A copy of the NDLEA response to the Lagos reads: “We also heard the unsubstantiated allegation on social media that Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, aka MohBad, was arrested and detained by NDLEA on the 24th of February 2022 and given a substance to drink.

“In response to this allegation, we wish to state categorically that MohBad was never arrested neither was he ever detained in the custody of the NDLEA on the said date or any other date before or after. The foregoing being the case, the issue of giving him any substance to drink does not arise.”

On Friday, the police named Feyisayo Ogedengbe, the auxiliary nurse who injected Mohbad, as “the prime suspect” in the singer’s death.