Experts in crime and medicine have reacted to the pathologist’s submission that the cause of death of singer and rapper Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, known professionally as MohBad, could not be ascertained.
A pathologist, Prof. Shokunle Shoyemi, on Wednesday said that the cause of the death of the singer was concluded as ‘uncertain’.
Shoyemi testified before a coroner sitting in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
The musician died on September 12, 2023 and was buried the following day. He was aged 27 years. However, his death generated controversies, prompting the Lagos State Government to direct a coroner’s inquest into the death.
The inquest, which began on October 13, is ongoing at the Ikorodu Magistrates’ Court. Shoyemi said the cause of the singer’s death could not be determined, as his body was too decomposed by the time an autopsy was performed.
He told the Coroner, Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi, that in spite of extensive efforts, the advanced state of decomposition of the body made a conclusive autopsy impossible.
He said that the situation left many questions about the circumstances surrounding the death unanswered.
He told the court that the autopsy was conducted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital [LASUTH], adding that photographs were also taken for documentation.
Shokunle said that the body of the late singer was not embalmed and had begun to decompose before it was brought for autopsy.
Shoyemi also told the coroner that an allegation that the late singer’s neck was bent and bleeding after death was false. According to him, when MohBad’s body was to be exhumed, heavy stones were seen placed on top of his grave.
Another witness, Mr. Owofeni Ibrahim, who was earlier cross-examined, said that he and the late singer knew each other since childhood and had been friends.
Ibrahim told the court that he knew the singer to be calm, smart and hardworking. “Every time I saw MohBad, he was okay,” he said.
The Coroner adjourned the inquest until June 11.
meanwhile, experts say that, in general, a negative or obscure autopsy is one where the cause of death remains unascertained despite a complete, meticulous autopsy, including ancillary laboratory tests.
“Such autopsies where the cause of death remains undermined despite a meticulous workup of the cases are not uncommon in forensic practice,” Dr. Mobolayo Daniel, Osun State-based General Practitioner, said.
Also, a lawyer, Emmanuella Oredehin, notes that, if the post-mortem shows an unnatural cause of death, or if the cause of death could not be found at this stage, the Coroner will open an investigation or an inquest.
“This is an inquiry which may be followed by a fact-finding court hearing about the circumstances of the death,” Oredehi added.
Experts warn that, in general, an autopsy report cannot detail in what order a person’s wounds were inflicted.
“The report will detail the number and location of wounds. Detectives can then use this information, along with other evidence that has been gathered, to infer how an incident unfolded,” they said.
