Sammy Larry: Mohbad failed to provide evidence that he was assaulted – Police

The Lagos Annex of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Zone 2, Alagbon, has shed light on the investigation into a complaint lodged by the late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, prior to his passing. The complaint, received on June 27, 2023, alleged assault and other offenses by music promoter Samson Balogun, also known as Sam Larry, and others.

According to the FCID, Mohbad’s complaint led to the invitation of Sam Larry and other individuals mentioned in the petition for questioning. However, the late singer failed to appear at the police station to adopt and defend his petition or provide evidence to support his allegations.

In response to this development, the spokesperson for the Lagos Annex of the FCID, Oluniyi Ogundeyi, stated that despite the police’s efforts to reach out to Mohbad multiple times, he did not cooperate with the investigation. Ogundeyi revealed that a lawyer representing Sam Larry and the other suspects filed a counter-petition accusing Mohbad of defamation after the singer failed to engage with the process.

“It is true that Mohbad reported the case on June 27, 2023. The IPO confirmed this to me today (Thursday), and showed me the case file. The IPO revealed that Sam Larry and other suspects mentioned in the petition were invited for questioning and they honoured the invite and also gave their statements. But the deceased refused to show up to adopt and defend his petition, and a lawyer to Sam Larry and the other suspects filed a counter-petition accusing Mohbad of defaming them.

“The police even reached out to Mohbad on several occasions, but he never showed up, and there was nothing the police could do if a petitioner refused to defend their petition and provide evidence to help the police in investigating the matter and forward the case file to the legal department of the suspect’s are found culpable.”

In Mohbad’s initial petition, he detailed an incident where Sam Larry and 15 others, allegedly armed, disrupted a video shoot he was working on with fellow artist Omoniyi Temidayo, known as Zlatan Ibile. Mohbad claimed that the group threatened him and caused damage to equipment valued at over N5 million. He further alleged that they assaulted him, causing injuries.

Despite these allegations, the police indicated that they were unable to take further action due to Mohbad’s non-cooperation in defending his petition and providing evidence to support his claims. The FCID emphasized that without the petitioner’s active involvement, it was challenging to proceed with the investigation and forward the case to the legal department for potential prosecution if wrongdoing was established.