US Lab Denies Accusations of Conducting Poison Test on Mohbad

The National Medical Services Laboratories (NMS Labs) in Pennsylvania, USA, refuted claims by the Lagos State Government regarding the toxicology test of the late Nigerian singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, known as Mohbad.

Punch Newspaper investigated the cause of Mohbad’s death, prompting NMS Labs’ denial of conducting any toxicology test.
Allegations at the Coroner’s Court in Lagos implied that NMS Labs had done the toxicology test, but this was contradicted by NMS Labs.

Lagos State officials, including the state’s counsel and the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, supported the claim that the test was conducted in the USA during an autopsy process.

NMS Labs clarified to Punch that they did not perform any such test, contrary to statements by Lagos State representatives.

Concerns arose after a pathologist’s report at the Coroner’s Court mentioned the inability to determine Mohbad’s cause of death due to the body’s decomposition.

Omotoso said, “The matter is being handled by the state DNA and Forensic Centre, but they are doing skeletal services, and they have affiliate centres which are three.

“So, if there is an emergency like this one that we have, they will not say they cannot handle it. So, there are three of them in the US and the one handling this particular one is the NMS in Pennsylvania, USA.”

The test results were received in Nigeria around April 2024 and given to a pathologist for analysis.
The pathologist, testifying in court, revealed that the autopsy couldn’t determine Mohbad’s cause of death due to decomposition of the body.

Punch confirmed the locations of NMS Labs in Pennsylvania and Texas during an investigation.
A single email address used by these labs for communication was found on the NMS Labs’ website, and an inquiry was sent to verify if a toxicology test for Mohbad was carried out at their facility.

The inquiry read in part, “I am a journalist from Punch Newspaper in Nigeria, currently working on a story involving the death of Nigerian hip-hop artiste, Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad.

“Following the Lagos State Government’s active interest in the case, the state Commissioner for Information revealed that the government conducted a toxicology test on the late artiste at your facility.

Here is the YouTube Video where he said so at 32:21

“However, conflicting reports have emerged, casting doubt on whether or not the toxicology test indeed took place at your facility. As a journalist committed to factual reporting, I am independently reaching out to your facility to verify the authenticity of this claim. Clarification on this matter will contribute significantly to resolving the discrepancies surrounding the artist’s demise.”

Esther Dede, the Client Services Associate in the Forensics Division at NMS Labs, rejected the state government’s assertion that Mohbad’s toxicology test was carried out at any of their facilities.

Dede said, “Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient.”

Dede, however, noted, “To maintain our compliance with HIPAA privacy regulations, we would need authorisation from the submitting agency.”

On Wednesday, the Commissioner for Information, Omotoso, mentioned that the lab’s name was provided to him by the state DNA and Forensic Centre when contacted.

He said, “This was what I was told by the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre officials who took the sample there. We are dealing with the officials of the centre, they have three other labs that they have affiliations with. If they have an emergency, they can go to any of the three labs. I asked which particular one did they go to and they answered it was that one. That means I will have to go and check again because that was what I was told.”