Police in Nigeria stated on Friday that an unqualified nurse was the prime suspect in the death of a popular musician in September, accusing her of “professional negligence” in dispensing medications.
The announcement comes only days after Afrobeats sensation Naira Marley was arrested and questioned by police, along with others, regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of popular singer Mohbad, 27, on September 12 in Lagos.
A total of five people were arrested, including the nurse.
“She is the main suspect in Mohbad’s death”, he said.
According to the police, the nursing assistant was not qualified for such procedures and was “professionally negligent”.
Lawyers for the nurse and the other suspects were not immediately available.
One of them was the singer’s buddy, Owodunni Oluwatosin, also known as Prime Boy, who had a fight with the singer a few days before his death, producing injuries that compelled him to seek treatment.
“The way the injuries were treated led to his death,” the commissioner said.
Afrobeat star Naira Marley and another singer, Samson Balogun, known as Sam Larry, also in custody, denied accusations of complicity in Mohbad’s death, claiming they were abroad at the time.
The commissioner did, however, report “a preponderance of evidence” linking the two men to “charges of death threats, cyberstalking and various crimes committed against Mohbad during his lifetime”.
The death of Mohbad, author of hit songs such as “Feel Good,” sparked strong emotions in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, not only because the singer was well-known there, but also because numerous testimonies from fans and relatives claimed that he had been harassed and physically threatened for months by powerful music industry figures.
Mohbad’s career took off in 2019 after he landed a deal with rapper Naira Marley’s influential “Marlian music” label. However, their collaboration came to a stop in 2022 due to major disagreements.