September 12, 2026, carried another emotional reminder of the death of Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as MohBad, as fans and people close to the late singer marked 3 years since his death at the age of 27. The passage of time has changed many things around his story, but the attention surrounding his name has remained strong, particularly whenever the date of his death returns. This year’s remembrance also came at a time when important questions connected to his death, his family and the handling of the case were still attracting attention.
MohBad’s name returned across social media as fans shared photographs, videos, old performances and personal memories of the singer. For many, the remembrance was centred on the music he left behind and the career that ended suddenly. For others, September 12 was another opportunity to revisit the events that followed his death, including the investigation, the exhumation of his remains, the coroner’s proceedings and the long running dispute surrounding his son, Liam.
The 2026 remembrance also carries a detail that makes it different from the earlier anniversaries. MohBad’s remains have still not received a final burial after his body was exhumed in September 2023. That situation has remained connected to the wider legal and family dispute, giving the latest remembrance a significance beyond the usual anniversary tributes and social media messages.
September 12 brings MohBad’s name back into focus
MohBad died on September 12, 2023, at the age of 27, beginning one of the most closely followed celebrity death cases in Nigeria in recent years. His death generated an immediate public reaction, with fans demanding answers over the circumstances surrounding his final hours and the events that preceded his death. The reaction quickly moved beyond entertainment circles and became a national conversation about justice, medical treatment, police investigation and the treatment of young entertainers.
His initial burial took place on September 13, 2023, in Ikorodu, Lagos, just 1 day after his death. That burial would later be interrupted when authorities exhumed his body on September 21, 2023, following the intense public pressure for a proper investigation and forensic examination. The exhumation became one of the defining moments in the case because his remains subsequently became part of the investigation rather than being returned immediately for another burial.
Three years later, the issue remains unresolved from the perspective of his final resting place. His body was buried initially, but the later exhumation means he has not had the final reburial that would normally follow a completed burial process. The situation has remained particularly sensitive for his family because questions surrounding his son, Liam, have become connected to the handling of his remains and the family’s broader search for answers.
Bella Shmurda remembers his close friend
Among the celebrity tributes connected directly to the September 12, 2026 remembrance, Bella Shmurda stood out as one of the clearest verified examples. The singer remembered MohBad with a short message on X, writing, “Woe to Evil doers. Keep resting Imole!”
The message carried significance because Bella Shmurda was not simply another artiste who knew MohBad through the Nigerian music industry. Their relationship was well known, and the 2 artistes shared music, friendship and a connection that became even more visible after MohBad’s death. Bella was also among those who repeatedly spoke publicly about the late singer during the period when the circumstances surrounding his death dominated national conversation.
His September 12 message therefore fitted naturally into the remembrance of MohBad, particularly because Bella chose to remember him on the exact date 3 years after his death. The wording was also notable because it combined remembrance with a reference to evil doers, reflecting the continuing desire for justice that has remained attached to MohBad’s name since 2023.
Bella’s tribute is important because several celebrities who remembered MohBad after his death have been mentioned in discussions about the 2026 remembrance even when their original tributes came in 2023 or 2024. Keeping the dates separate is necessary when documenting the latest anniversary. A celebrity who paid tribute shortly after MohBad’s death should not automatically be presented as someone who made a fresh third anniversary post on September 12, 2026.
Yomi Fabiyi renews his call for action
Actor and activist Yomi Fabiyi also brought MohBad’s case back into public discussion shortly before the anniversary. On September 9, 2026, Fabiyi shared a graphic connected to MohBad’s death and directed a renewed appeal towards Inspector General of Police Tunji Disu.
Fabiyi’s intervention was different from Bella Shmurda’s because it was not simply a remembrance message. He used the period surrounding the anniversary to raise further concerns about the investigation and call for action concerning people he believes should receive further scrutiny. Those claims remain allegations made by Fabiyi and should not be presented as established findings of a court or official investigation.
His intervention nevertheless shows how September 12 continues to carry a legal and investigative dimension for people following the case. The anniversary has become a point when memories of MohBad return alongside questions about the circumstances of his death, the investigation that followed and whether every relevant issue was properly examined.
MohBad’s family remains part of the remembrance
MohBad’s family also featured prominently around the 2026 remembrance, with his father Joseph Aloba and his brother Adura Aloba drawing attention through their separate appearances and social media activity.
Joseph Aloba resurfaced with a studio video days before the anniversary, once again bringing the family’s position into public attention. His role in the case has remained particularly significant because he has consistently raised questions about the circumstances of his son’s death and the handling of his remains.
Adura also returned to Instagram with photographs and videos connected to MohBad and the family. One of the images that attracted attention showed him with MohBad’s son, Liam. Fans reacted emotionally to the photograph, with several people commenting on the physical resemblance they saw between Adura, Liam and the late singer.
The family’s presence around the anniversary added another layer to the remembrance because MohBad’s death has never been only an entertainment story for those closest to him. The family has remained directly involved in the legal and forensic issues surrounding his death, including the dispute over DNA testing and the question of when his remains can finally be laid to rest.
The celebrities linked to earlier tributes
Names such as Davido, Zlatan, Falz, Chike and Khaid remain closely associated with the public remembrance of MohBad, although their earlier tributes should not automatically be treated as new September 12, 2026 posts.
Davido, Falz and Zlatan were among those associated with the 2023 candlelight procession following MohBad’s death. Khaid later released a tribute song, while Chike’s collaboration with MohBad on “Egwu” became one of the most successful posthumous songs connected to the late singer.
Those contributions remain part of MohBad’s wider legacy, but there is an important difference between remembering the people who honoured him after his death and documenting those who made fresh posts for his 3 year remembrance. Based on the clearest information available for September 12, 2026, Bella Shmurda provides the strongest verified celebrity example connected directly to the date itself.
That distinction matters because MohBad’s story has accumulated several years of tributes, statements and legal developments. Mixing those different periods together can easily create an inaccurate account of what happened during the latest remembrance.
September 13, 2023 was only the beginning of the burial story
MohBad was initially buried on September 13, 2023, in Ikorodu, Lagos, barely 24 hours after his death. The speed of the burial became another point of public attention as questions surrounding his death intensified and demands for an investigation grew louder.
By September 21, 2023, his body had been exhumed for an autopsy. The decision meant that the singer’s remains became part of a formal forensic process, changing the circumstances around his burial.
The distinction is important because it is inaccurate to say that MohBad was never buried. He was buried after his death, but that burial was later disrupted by the exhumation. His remains have subsequently remained without a final reburial, making his third remembrance another occasion when the issue of his resting place has returned to the centre of public attention.
The DNA dispute involving Liam
The dispute over DNA testing involving MohBad’s son, Liam, with Singer’s widow Wunmi, has become one of the major issues surrounding the delayed final burial. Joseph Aloba has maintained that the DNA question should be resolved before his son’s remains are finally reburied.
The issue has developed into more than a simple disagreement over whether DNA testing should happen. There have also been questions over which laboratory should conduct the examination, what type of testing is required and whether laboratories proposed during the legal process are capable of performing the particular test being requested.
During 2026, the dispute remained active, with Joseph Aloba and his legal representatives raising concerns about laboratories connected to the proposed testing process. The discussions have included facilities in the United Kingdom and the United States, with questions raised about whether they provide the specific type of DNA examination required for the case.
The result is that the DNA issue has continued to delay a clean resolution of the family dispute. Until the legal and family questions surrounding the testing are settled, MohBad’s remains remain caught within a case that began with his death in 2023 and has now entered its 3rd year.
The autopsy did not establish a definite cause of death
One of the most important facts in the MohBad case concerns what the autopsy actually established. The forensic examination did not conclusively identify a single cause of death.
Professor Sunday Soyemi, the pathologist who testified during the coroner’s proceedings, said in May 2024 that the autopsy could not determine the cause of death. The condition of the remains and other factors affecting the forensic examination made it impossible for the autopsy alone to provide a conclusive answer.
Toxicology examinations were also part of the wider investigation, with samples sent abroad for analysis. Those tests formed part of the evidence considered during the investigation and subsequent proceedings.
This means claims that the autopsy proved poisoning or conclusively established that a particular person caused MohBad’s death are not supported by the forensic finding itself. The autopsy remained inconclusive about the precise cause of death, which is an important fact when separating established evidence from allegations that circulated publicly after his death.
The coroner later made findings on medical treatment
The coroner’s inquest added another important development to the case because it examined evidence beyond the narrow question of what the autopsy could establish.
Findings reported from the proceedings in July 2025 pointed towards medical negligence and a fatal reaction associated with an injection administered to MohBad. The proceedings focused attention on the circumstances surrounding the medical treatment he received before his death and the role of Feyisayo Ogedengbe, an auxiliary nurse involved in administering a tetanus injection.
The coroner found serious concerns surrounding Ogedengbe’s professional status and recommended prosecution in connection with the circumstances surrounding the injection. The finding placed medical treatment at the centre of the explanation emerging from the inquest.
That development should be kept separate from the earlier autopsy finding. The autopsy did not conclusively establish the cause of death, while the coroner considered testimony and the wider circumstances and made findings concerning medical negligence and the reaction associated with the injection.
Naira Marley, Sam Larry case remains a major part of the story
The names of Naira Marley and Sam Larry became inseparable from public discussions about MohBad’s death because of the allegations and controversies involving the singer before his death.
Both men were arrested during the investigation, alongside other people who came under scrutiny. Their names remained heavily discussed because MohBad had previously made allegations concerning mistreatment and assault involving people connected to the Marlian Music circle.
The legal position later changed. The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions issued legal advice that cleared Naira Marley and Sam Larry in relation to the death case, and a subsequent court decision did not overturn that position.
That means they should not be described as people established to have caused MohBad’s death. Allegations that circulated widely after his death are not the same as a court finding establishing criminal responsibility.
The distinction is especially important as the case returns to public attention during the 3 year remembrance. MohBad’s death generated intense accusations across social media, but the legal record must remain separate from public speculation and unproven claims.
A fresh attempt to reopen the police investigation
The next major development is now sitting before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Break the Silence Foundation filed a fresh case seeking an order compelling the police to reopen the investigation into MohBad’s death. The suit is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/363/2026 and names the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, among the respondents.
The foundation has argued that some aspects of the earlier investigation and possible leads were not sufficiently examined. Its counsel, Chief Tunde Falola, also pointed to people reportedly among the last individuals seen with MohBad and argued that further scrutiny was necessary.
The case does not itself establish that any person named in connection with those arguments committed a crime. Its immediate purpose is to determine whether the police can be compelled through the court to reopen aspects of the investigation.
That distinction matters because a successful application would not automatically result in an arrest, prosecution or conviction. It would instead create a legal basis for another police investigation into aspects of the death that the foundation believes require further attention.
September 29 is the next major date
The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed September 29, 2026, for judgment in the fresh case seeking to compel the police to reopen the investigation.
That date comes just 17 days after MohBad’s 3 year remembrance on September 12, making the timing particularly significant for those following the case. While the anniversary has brought memories of the singer back into public conversation, the court is preparing to make another decision that could affect the future direction of the investigation.
A judgment in favour of the foundation could place fresh pressure on the police to revisit aspects of the case. It would not automatically mean that a murder charge would follow or that anyone would immediately be arrested.
A judgment against the foundation would leave the existing position in place through that particular legal route and make another attempt to force a fresh police investigation more difficult through the same argument.
Either outcome will give the MohBad case another significant legal development shortly after the 3 year remembrance.
The case has travelled through several stages
MohBad’s case has developed through several distinct stages since September 12, 2023. His death was followed by an immediate public demand for answers, then his burial on September 13, 2023, before the exhumation on September 21, 2023, brought his remains into the forensic investigation.
The coroner’s proceedings continued into 2024, with Professor Sunday Soyemi giving evidence in May 2024 that the autopsy could not conclusively establish the cause of death. Toxicology testing and other evidence formed part of the broader process that followed the exhumation.
The coroner’s findings in 2025 then placed significant attention on medical treatment, with reports of findings concerning a fatal reaction to an injection and medical negligence. The legal position concerning Naira Marley and Sam Larry also moved away from the earlier public accusations after the DPP’s legal advice and subsequent court proceedings.
The dispute surrounding Liam’s DNA continued into 2026, while the Break the Silence Foundation opened another legal route by asking the Federal High Court to compel a fresh police investigation. That application has now reached the point where a judgment is expected on September 29.
MohBad’s 3 year remembrance carries an unresolved question
September 12, 2026, therefore marks more than 3 years since MohBad’s death. It marks 3 years since the beginning of a chain of events that moved from a sudden death to public protests, exhumation, forensic examinations, a coroner’s inquest, legal proceedings, a family dispute and a fresh court challenge seeking another police investigation.
Bella Shmurda’s tribute brought the personal side of the remembrance into focus, while Yomi Fabiyi’s intervention showed that the investigative questions surrounding MohBad’s death remain active. His family also remained part of the conversation, with Joseph Aloba continuing to raise issues around the DNA dispute and Adura sharing emotional memories connected to MohBad and his son.
The unresolved status of the singer’s remains adds another painful detail to the 3 year remembrance. MohBad was buried on September 13, 2023, but his body was exhumed 8 days later and has not yet been finally reburied.
What happens next
The immediate next major date is September 29, 2026, when the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected to deliver judgment in the case seeking to compel the police to reopen the investigation.
Before that date arrives, the questions surrounding MohBad’s remains, the DNA dispute and the family’s position continue to form part of the wider story. The outcome of the court case will determine whether another formal police investigation can be forced through that legal action, although it would not by itself establish criminal responsibility for anyone.
For now, MohBad’s name remains firmly connected to September 12, a date that has become a yearly reminder of the singer, his music and the circumstances surrounding the end of his life. The 2026 remembrance has brought the memories back once again, but the legal and family issues attached to his death remain active as the case moves towards another important court date.
