When news broke on September 12, 2023, that rising Afrobeats star Ilerioluwa Aloba, better known as Mohbad, had died at just 27, Nigerians were in shock.
What should have been a straightforward tragedy spiraled into one of the most polarizing controversies in Nigerian music history.
Fingers pointed almost immediately at his former label boss, Naira Marley, and associate Sam Larry.
Street protests erupted, radio stations banned Marlian Music, and social media became a war zone of accusations and conspiracy theories.
Now, nearly two years later, Naira Marley has released a nearly two-hour video, presenting his side of the story armed with WhatsApp chats, audio recordings, and legal documents.
His account paints a picture not of a controlling, exploitative label, but of a chaotic relationship complicated by mental health struggles, family conflicts, and media manipulation.
Yet the contradictions between his version, Mohbad’s public outbursts, and industry perception raise deeper questions: Did the system fail Mohbad?
The 50/50 Deal That Started It All
Marley begins his story in 2019, when he moved back to Nigeria to launch Marlian Music.
He signed Mohbad alongside Zinoleesky and others under what he describes as a fair deal: a four-album contract with 50/50 profit-sharing.
According to Marley, the label provided resources while Mohbad retained artistic freedom, even choosing his own manager.
The arrangement looked empowering on paper, but the seeds of discord were already buried within it.
In July 2020, Mohbad introduced his manager, Tunde. Industry standards cap management commissions at 10%, but Tunde initially demanded 25%.
Marley objected, forcing Tunde to scale back, but resentment lingered.eventually, outright hostility.
Mohbad’s ddiction and Mental Health
Marley alleges he first noticed troubling signs in June 2020, when he discovered Mohbad using “ice” (crystal meth).
He claims he tried to intervene, warning about the dangers. Mohbad reportedly justified his use as stress relief.
Whether or not drugs played a central role, what’s undeniable is that Mohbad’s later years were punctuated by erratic behavior, paranoia, and mental strain.
The most significant breakdown came in February 2022, after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) raided Marlian House and arrested Mohbad, Zinoleesky, and others.
Following his release, Mohbad appeared in a video accusing Marley, Zinoleesky, and even his own wife, Wunmi, of plotting against him.
He named Naira Marley explicitly, saying if anything happened to him, Marley should be held responsible.
Naira Marley, who insists he was abroad during the raid, claims this was a panic-fueled statement.
A few weeks later, Marley says Mohbad privately apologized, blaming the episode on trauma from the NDLEA ordeal. But the incident was just the beginning of the end.
Money And Family.
Financial disputes soon followed. Marley recalls that for months, Mohbad requested his royalties be deposited into an account belonging to his mother which turned out to be his mother-in-law’s. He showed WhatsApp chats as evidence of this.
When Mohbad finally opened his own account in mid-2021, arguments with Wunmi allegedly intensified. Marley portrays Wunmi and her mother as manipulative figures who isolated Mohbad and fueled his paranoia.
By 2022, Mohbad’s growing mistrust extended to his manager, Tunde. He accused him of being lazy and dishonest, even as Tunde fired back in group chats, claiming Mohbad preferred his wife managing him.
The dispute boiled over in October that year when Mohbad stormed Marlian House with a group of men, allegedly drunk and armed, demanding confrontation.
The altercation left Mohbad bruised. He posted photos online accusing Naira Marley’s crew of assault, igniting public outrage.
The latter, however, insists Mohbad was the aggressor.
Within days, Mohbad’s lawyers sent a termination letter, demanding his release from Marlian Music and full accounting of royalties.
Naira marley says he complied, but the damage to his public image was irreversible.
Mohbad’s Death and Suspicion
When Mohbad died in September 2023, the cloud of suspicion settled squarely on Marley and Sam Larry.
Protests across Lagos demanded their arrest.
Police detained them for two months, though both denied involvement.
By February 2025, a coroner’s inquest cleared them of responsibility, instead indicting an auxiliary nurse who administered improper treatment for Mohbad’s ear infection.
Still, Naira marley insists his name remains unfairly tarnished. “I made peace with Mohbad before he died, but my name is forever linked to his death” he lamented in the video.
The Influence Of The Media: Narrative vs. Evidence
One of Marley’s sharpest accusations is that the narrative of his guilt was orchestrated. He points to Iyabo Ojo, actress and activist, accusing her of driving social media campaigns against him.
He claims that Mohbad’s viral tweets and videos were manipulated to cast him as a villain. The speed with which stories spread, he argues, suggests deliberate coordination.
This theory, though unproven, still rings true. Narratives are crafted and consumed on social media, often independent of verified facts.
For Naira Marley, the defamation online has been as damaging as any court process.
The Mohbad case did not just stain Marley’s reputation; it exposed flaws in Nigeria’s music industry.
Weak contract enforcement, lack of artist welfare support, and a near-total absence of mental health infrastructure left Mohbad vulnerable.
Naira marley himself has now called for the case to be reopened, even urging police to re-arrest him and others.
This shows how little closure the case has brought to fans, family, or the industry.
Conclusion
Naira Marley’s account is detailed, emotional, and backed with evidence.
But even if he is cleared legally, the tragedy of Mohbad forces harder questions: Why was his mental health allowed to deteriorate without consistent support?
Why did financial disputes become the focus rather than real investigation of his death? And why did an entire industry stand by as one of its brightest stars went down like that?
In truth, the Mohbad case is less about one man’s guilt and more about an industry failure.
Mohbad’s story remains a wound, one that even Naira Marley’s defense cannot heal.
Watch the full video:
