The Lagos State Coroner’s Court in Ikorodu has ordered the Director of Public Prosecutions to prosecute Feyisayo Ogedengbe, the auxiliary nurse who administered a tetanus injection to Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, shortly before his death.
Magistrate C.A. Shotobi, delivering the court’s ruling, found that Ogedengbe was neither a registered nurse nor a licensed medical practitioner, and thus acted unlawfully and with gross negligence by administering the injection without proper medical authorization.
The coroner ruled out foul play or homicide but linked the singer’s sudden adverse reaction and subsequent death to the nurse’s unauthorized medical intervention.
The court expressed serious concern over systemic regulatory failures in the healthcare sector, which have allowed unqualified individuals to practice medicine.
It also criticized Mohbad’s family, particularly his father for conducting a hasty burial without an autopsy, and his wife for treating him at home rather than seeking professional medical care.
In addition to ordering the prosecution of Ogedengbe, the court mandated an urgent investigation into the Nigeria Police Force’s failure to act on a petition Mohbad had filed against music industry figures Naira Marley and Sam Larry prior to his death.
The coroner described the police inaction as a dereliction of duty and called for the reopening of the case to determine if official negligence contributed to the tragic outcome.
The ruling was based on testimonies from 19 witnesses, including medical experts who conducted separate autopsies.
While the decomposed state of Mohbad’s body prevented a definitive cause of death, both pathologists agreed that a severe anaphylactic reaction to the tetanus injection was the most probable cause.
The court also highlighted broader systemic issues spanning family, healthcare, law enforcement, and the entertainment industry, urging reforms to prevent similar occurrences.
It recommended legal measures to regulate medical practice strictly, enforce proper investigations of sudden deaths, and address bullying and exploitation within the music industry.
Lawyers representing Mohbad’s family praised the verdict as a landmark decision that brings clarity and justice to a case that had sparked national outrage.
They emphasized the need for accountability in both the health sector and law enforcement to protect vulnerable individuals in the future.
