What Really Killed Mohbad? 

Nearly a year after the sudden death of Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, the cause of his death has not been fully ascertained by an autopsy result supposedly conducted. 

Nine days after he was buried a combined team of the Nigeria Police Force and health officials exhumed Mohbad’s body to conduct an autopsy.

However, the back and forth concerning the release of the autopsy result has kept Nigerians on the lookout if the cause of his death would be swept under the carpet.

The autopsy reports

The autopsy conducted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) aimed to uncover the cause of Mohbad’s death. However, as revealed by forensic scientist and pathologist Sunday Osiyemi, the process was hindered by the state of the body, which had decomposed significantly by the time of exhumation.

The autopsy report indicated “no significant gross finding” that could be attributed to his death, despite testing samples from various organs, including the liver, kidney, and lungs.

Toxicology tests revealed the presence of Diphenhydramine, an antihistamine commonly used to treat allergies, in Mohbad’s system. Yet, the concentration found was not within a fatal range. 

This finding left the pathologists without a definitive cause of death, raising questions and suspicions among the public and his fans.

Challenges in Determining Cause of Death

Determining the cause of death from a decomposed body poses significant challenges. Forensic experts explain that while an autopsy can still reveal the cause of death if a body is exhumed years after burial, the accuracy depends on the extent of decomposition and whether the body was embalmed. 

Embalmment, which was not done in Mohbad’s case, can alter autopsy results, making it difficult to ascertain the exact cause of death.

Dr. Richard Somiari, Director of the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, it is better to conduct an autopsy before burial when the body is still fresh. Despite the exhumation and thorough examination, the advanced decomposition of Mohbad’s body hindered the ability to determine a clear cause of death.

However, forensic experts all over the world still believe the cause of death can still be ascertained years after the body has been buried.

Public reaction and legal proceedings

The uncertainty surrounding the cause of Mohbad’s death has led to public frustration and numerous conspiracy theories. His family’s lawyer, Wahab Shittu, highlighted that the delay in exhumation played a crucial role in the inconclusive results. He mentioned that the body should have been exhumed within 12 hours after burial to avoid decomposition, which significantly impacts the accuracy of forensic findings.

Despite the inconclusive autopsy, the possibility of a drug reaction remains under consideration. The pathologists suggested that Mohbad might have died due to a reaction to certain medications administered before his death. However, without conclusive evidence, this remains speculative.

The autopsy on Mohbad’s exhumed body did not provide the definitive answers that his family, fans, and the public were hoping for. The advanced decomposition of his body and the presence of non-lethal levels of Diphenhydramine left the exact cause of his death undetermined is enough questioning

Forensic experts stress the importance of timely autopsies and caution that once significant decomposition sets in, determining the cause of death becomes increasingly difficult.

As the public waits the quest for answers continues, with the hope that new evidence or testimonies might eventually shed light on what really killed Mohbad.