Mohbad: The unending paternity saga in late Nigerian singer's family
Nigerian music star's paternity to be tested abroad in the coming weeks.
The saga surrounding the late Nigerian music star Mohbad's family has taken a dramatic twist.
DNA tests are now expected to be conducted in the US and the UK in the coming weeks to determine Mohbad's paternity of his son, Liam.
Mohbad's father, Joseph Aloba, had filed a court case in 2025 to establish whether the Afrobeats singer was the biological father of the child.
The matter has now gone international, with a court in the commercial hub Lagos approving three foreign laboratories – one in the United States and two in the United Kingdom – to conduct DNA tests in a bid to resolve the dispute between Mohbad's father and his widow, Omowunmi.
The ruling, delivered by Magistrate Adefisoye Sonuga on 27 February, according to local media reports, came after all parties agreed on the necessity of a DNA test. Mohbad's widow has not publicly commented on the latest decision.
However, Mohbad's father said he was "pleased" with the court ruling, while local media quoted his lawyer, Oladayo Ogungbe, as saying they insisted on international labs because a suggested local facility couldn't perform "tissue-based testing".
Burial stalled
Ogungbe stated that both the singer's father and his widow had picked one laboratory each for the testing process, while the court selected an independent facility.
Ogungbe said: "The three results must show the same outcome." Local media report that DNA samples are expected to be collected in April in the presence of all parties.
The child in question, Liam, was born just months before Mohbad's death in September 2023 after a brief illness at the age of 27.
The paternity controversy has stalled plans for the burial of the singer, whose real name is Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, more than two years on.
The dispute is reportedly hinged on the inheritance of the singer's property, although it's not exactly clear what he had left behind.
The death of the "Feel Good" and "KPK" hitmaker itself has also been a subject of unresolved controversy.
While Afrobeats music promoter Naira Marley and Mohbad's associate Sam Larry were cleared of involvement last year, Lagos State prosecutors continue to pursue charges against a nurse and a friend of Mohbad for "reckless and negligent acts" in his medical treatment.