The Ekiti State House of Assembly has called for a thorough investigation into the death of Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, a hip-hop musician, popularly known as Mohbad.
The assembly made the call yesterday, while deliberating on a motion by Mr Babatunde Oke, the lawmaker representing Ikere Constituency I.
Oke, who moved the motion under matter of urgent public importance, said it was important to unravel the circumstances behind Mohbad’s death.
“There is a need for thorough investigation on this issue. We are hearing different stories, we need to know what happened,” he said.
Supporting the motion, Mr Babatunde Odowu, representing Ikere Constituency 2, described Mohbad’s death as not only untimely, but a huge loss.
“The situation calls for sober reflection, the entertainer’s death is a big blow to us. We need to ensure that justice is done,” he said.
He prayed to God to grant the family and admirers of the late musician the fortitude to bear the loss.
Former presidential candidate, Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, also enjoined the police to do “justice to the memory and spirit of the late rising music star by doing a thorough investigation of this matter, and ensuring that the culprits for the crime, if any, do not escape the law.”
In a statement from his media office in Abuja yesterday, Olawepo-Hashim explained that the death of the young man has again “highlighted the terror that the grip of the underworld on our streets inflicts on the society.”
He said: “I deeply sympathise with those who truly love this fallen star, who tragically is becoming louder in death than in life. He has become a “Martyr” of a cause in a unique way. The death of the rising music star, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, in very suspicious circumstances, must be an occasion to free the society from the grip of the underworld.
“As a father who has a son in arts and music, two years older than Mohbad, I am worried and concerned about the grip of cult leaders on some aspects of our musical lives and entertainment, as well as the control of drug lords. The Mohbad saga has also further highlighted the dark side of entertainment financing, in the absence of a well structured and disciplined support system for budding talents, especially from poor homes.”
He further stressed that “at the root of the exploitation of talented young people is the weapon of poverty manipulated by the rich but rough and wicked. It is time to end this evil!” He, therefore, appealed to those in charge of our security in Nigeria “to allow and protect those who are pained by this sad occurrence and who want to peacefully embark on processions and vigils.
“Organised violence by malevolent forces should not be an excuse to deny those who are peacefully seeking justice for Mohbad the right to do so! The police authorities must ensure, above all, that Mohbad gets justice in death!”