A support group, Team Justice in Nigeria and the Diaspora, has criticised moves to exclude the late singer Mohbad’s father, Joseph Aloba, from the ongoing DNA process to determine the paternity of his grandson, Liam.

The group insisted that Aloba retains the legal right to oversee how the test is conducted.

Aloba had disclosed in a viral video that Mohbad would be buried once the DNA test is completed.

In a statement signed by its coordinator, Toby Bart, the group said there was no legal or moral basis for the government or any agency to take over the procedure or insist on state-supervised sampling in what it described as a “purely family-initiated matter.”

According to the statement, “The law is straightforward. The person who contests paternity and requests a DNA test controls the process. In this case, that person is Mohbad’s father. DNA tests are private medical procedures unless ordered by a court or required within a criminal investigation. No Lagos court has ordered a DNA test, and the police report does not classify the DNA as a forensic necessity. Therefore, the state has no lawful jurisdiction to impose itself.”

The Magistrates Court in Ikorodu reportedly set aside a fresh application filed by Aloba’s new lawyer, Oladayo Ogungbe, on Tuesday. The application sought an open DNA process to be conducted in two independent laboratories in the United States and the United Kingdom, with samples taken by Aloba’s selected experts.

Ogungbe said the court suggested that samples be taken under its supervision and sent to an unspecified foreign laboratory.

Rejecting the position, the group argued: “There is no justification for excluding Baba from the process he initiated or replacing an internationally verifiable multi-lab plan with an unnamed foreign lab.”

The statement added that allowing state structures that handled the “controversial exhumation” and produced an “inconclusive autopsy and toxicology report” to supervise the DNA process again may erode public trust.

It further outlined non-negotiable conditions: samples must be taken by Aloba’s expert team; tests must be done in two separate labs in the US and UK; and all procedures must follow an internationally recognised, transparent chain of custody.

“Justice cannot be selective or shielded. It must be visible, verifiable, and beyond interference. We stand with Baba Mohbad and with every Nigerian demanding accountability and transparency. The truth must be established in a way that leaves no room for doubt. As we await the Certified True Copy of today’s ruling, we encourage the family to appeal this decision immediately,” the statement concluded.

PUNCH Metro had reported in November that Mohbad’s family renewed its call for a transparent and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

In a statement signed by the head of the family, Omolayo Aloba, and Joseph Aloba, the family also directed Mohbad’s partner, Wunmi Adebanjo, to stop using the family surname, Aloba, pending the outcome of a court-ordered DNA test.

The dispute reflects ongoing tensions between the late singer’s family and his widow over the paternity of their son and control of Mohbad’s estate.

Mohbad, born Ilerioluwa Aloba, died at 27 on September 12, 2023. Following his death, the Lagos State Police Command inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team to probe the circumstances surrounding his passing.

Earlier reports in 2024 indicated that Aloba, through legal representatives, filed an application at the coroner’s court in Ikorodu to determine the cause of Mohbad’s death and later demanded a DNA test to resolve the paternity dispute. (PUNCH)