The claim by the NMS Labs was in response to inquiries made by our correspondent, who embarked on a fact-finding mission to ascertain the musician’s cause of death.

Before embarking on the fact-finding mission, some concerned members of the public reportedly protested against the claim made by a pathologist, who appeared before the Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, May 15, and said an autopsy could not ascertain Mohbad’s cause of death because his corpse had decomposed.

the counsel for the state government, O. Akinde, told the Coroner’s Court sitting in the Ikorodu area of the state sometime in November 2023 that a toxicology test, which is an aspect of an autopsy seeking to determine the cause of Mohbad’s death, was conducted in the United States.

Buttressing this claim, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, while responding to inquiries via a live telephone call with Ahmad Isah, the anchor of an Abuja-based online programme, Brekete Family, sometime in February 2024, said the toxicology test was being conducted at the NMS Labs in Pennsylvania, USA.

“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,” Omotoso said during the live programme.

The result of the test reportedly arrived in Nigeria sometime in April 2024 and was passed on to a pathologist for interpretation.

Appearing before the coroner’s court, the pathologist disclosed that the autopsy could not ascertain the cause of Mohbad’s death because the corpse had decomposed.

However, during the fact-finding mission, our correspondent independently verified the location of the NMS Labs on 3701 Welsh Road Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and that of two NMS crime labs on Stratford Avenue, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and another at Grand Prairie in Texas.

The single e-mail address that these labs had been using for correspondence was also discovered on the NMS Labs’ website and our correspondent sent an inquiry to confirm if a toxicology test to ascertain Mohbad’s death was conducted 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. 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.”

the Client Services Associate, Forensics Division, NMS Labs, Esther Dede, refuted the claim by the state government that Mohbad’s toxicology test was conducted at any of their laboratories.

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

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

When contacted on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Information, Omotoso, said that was the name of the lab given to him by the state DNA and Forensic Centre.

“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.”

Mohbad died at the age of 27, on September 12, 2023, with circumstances surrounding his death sparking controversies on social media.

Being a former record label signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, Mohbad left the label in February 2022. The Lagos State Police Command had on September 18, 2023, inaugurated a 13-man special investigation team to probe the singer’s death.

The incident which occurred between 8:00 and 8:30pm on Saturday immediately threw the community into mourning and led to tension among the residents.

The incident occurred in a private residence of Prince Oyeyode, after a meeting he held with some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress from Ejigbo town.

An eyewitness, who preferred anonymity, while speaking with our correspondent on Sunday on the matter, said after the meeting had ended and the attendees were leaving the premises, gunshots were fired allegedly on the instruction of Prince Oyeyode by one of his aides, which hit Idowu on the leg eventually leading to his death, while being treated in a private hospital in Ejigbo.

Narrating how the incident happened, a Personal Assistant to the deceased, Afiz Lawal, who claimed the incident happened in his presence, further explained, “When we returned to Osun State from Ogun State where Governor Ademola Adeleke took a chieftaincy title, we moved to Ejigbo for the 50th coronation anniversary of the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Oyeyode Oyesosin.

“Immediately after the coronation party, we were about to start coming to Osogbo, when Prince Eniola, son to Ogiyan, told us to go to his house along Inisa Road in Ejigbo for a brief meeting. Those who attended the meeting include Hon Asler ( Ayodele Asalu), and one Hon Timothy.

“When the meeting ended, they all dispersed and were entering their vehicles. I heard Prince Eniola say: “Release”, asking a local hunter there on the premises to release gunshots into air. Unfortunately, instead of firing into the air, he shot towards the ground. And that was how Hon Richard Idowu was hit on the leg and he immediately fell.

“Before we could get him to the hospital, he had already lost so much blood and there is no good hospital in Ejigbo. He gave up at a private hospital in Ejigbo. The incident happened between 8:00 and 8:30pm on Saturday. He was a PDP chieftain and a lecturer based in the United States of America.”

Asked if the incident could be regarded as a case of misfiring or pre-planned murder, Lawal further said, “It may be planned or accidental, but I just narrated how the incident happened because I was at the scene. His remains have been deposited at the morgue of UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Osogbo.”

It was also learnt that the man who fired the shot that hit Idowu attempted to flee the area, but was caught and shot dead by some aides attached to the deceased.

Giving an update on the incident, the spokesperson for the Osun State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed Oyeyode’s arrest.

She said, “The incident occurred on 27/1/2024 at about 9:48 pm after the 50th coronation anniversary of the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Oyeyode Oyesosin, where one Prince Eniola Oyeyode of Ejigbo instructed one of his civilian guards named Hammed Abdul Jelili to fire his double-barrelled gun into the air to confirm if the gun was in good condition or not.

“But instead, he allegedly shot directly at the victim and he was rushed to a hospital but confirmed dead by the doctor. Meanwhile, Prince Eniola Oyeyode who gave the order to his civilian guard to fire gun has been arrested and detained.”

Meanwhile, the Osun State Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, after leading the state government officials on a condolence visit to the family of the deceased PDP chieftain in Ejigbo, told journalists that, “The interim report revealed that there are two causalities. The police have commenced a full investigation and we are awaiting the report of the investigation.

“We know the team from the governor are here to commiserate with the people of Ejigbo and the king. We appeal to the people to remain calm.”

A statement on Thursday by Olukoya’s media aide, Collins Edomaruse, said the jury found that the postings of Ashekun defamed the MFM and portrayed its pastors in a false light.

Delivering its judgment in the matter with Case Number: C-03-CV-22-004424, the court returned a unanimous verdict in favour of MFM USA and its three pastors, Grace Ugeh, Kunle Ladipo and Adekunle Adekola.

According to the MFM, Ashekun, who recently relocated to the United States, “has been on social media, spreading all manners of falsehoods against the MFM Church and its General Overseer with the sole purpose of tarnishing and damaging the reputation of the respected man of God and that of his ministry.”

Reacting to the lawsuit filed against her, the YouTuber, in a video she posted to her YouTube channel on November 28, 2023, said MFM and three of its US-based pastors filed a suit against her and accused her of defaming their General Overseer.

“I am now able to confirm to you and to formally do so now that I, Funke Ashekun, have been sued by a church in America. I want you to know I’ve been sued by a church in America. I’m also able to confirm that the name of the church that has taken me to court in America is Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, America.

“I am also able to confirm to you that I don’t know them, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Imagine, people that I don’t know are suing me. What an Irony! The first one is Adekunle Adekola. He’s a pastor in Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Rockville, Maryland. The second person is Kunle Ladipo. He is also a pastor in Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Bowie, Maryland. And the third person is a woman, I am surprised. She is Grace Ugeh. She is also a pastor in Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries in California; one of their branches.

Somebody even came from California to sue me in Maryland. These are people I don’t know. I have never been to their church here in America since we relocated. I saw two of them in court recently. But I don’t think I will still recognise them if I meet two of them on the way. I am surprised how a woman will come after me for speaking against sexual assault on women,” she said.

Ashekun added that she was shocked about the lawsuit, stressing that she did not mention the name of any church or pastor in particular in any of her posts.

“I am talking about Pharaohs of our country. People that are supposed to be men of God; that people call men of God and reverence. I am talking about things going on in our churches, that there are sexual abuses going on in our churches. Women are becoming depressed. Some of them are becoming suicidal. They are being sexually molested seriously. And then a woman would come after me and take me to court for talking.

“I, also want to let you know that I, Olufunke Ashekun, am the respondent in this lawsuit in my personal capacity and to the exclusion of no other. These three people, they came after me. In fact, they came with two different lawsuits.

“One thing still shocks me, still baffles me that since I have started this programme, I have never mentioned the name of any church. When I talk about Pharaohs destroying women, destroying men, torturing, oppressing, sexually molesting women, young girls, even in the toilet, in church, inside what is supposed to be a sanctuary of God. Since I’ve started, I’ve never mentioned any church doing that.

“I’ve never mentioned the name of any pastor or any General Overseer. I have been talking about Pharaohs. Pharaoh is a Biblical name. We all know Pharaoh to be an oppressor of God’s children. It is a satirical name that I formed for this programme to pass all my messages because we need to speak out. We can’t keep quiet and allow these people to go on in our society,” she said.

Reacting to the judgment, the MFM lead counsel, Gilbert Garcia, said the “Church was gratified that the jury found in favor and vindicated our position,” according to the statement.

The CSU released the documents to Atiku on Monday in compliance with the order of a United States District Court in Northern District of Illinois.

In ordering the CSU to release Tinubu’s academic record, a US district judge dismissed the President’s objection.

The judge ruled: “For the foregoing reasons, the court overrules President Tinubu’s objections to Magistrate Judge Gilbert’s recommended ruling, and therefore, adopts the ruling in full. Mr Atiku’s Application is, therefore, granted. In light of the pending Supreme Court of Nigeria deadline, represented to the court as October 5, 2023, and based on CSU’s representations that it is ready to comply with the discovery requests and produce a witness, the court sets an expedited schedule for completion of discovery.

Respondent CSU is directed to produce all relevant and non-privileged documents in response to Requests for Production Nos. The Rule 30(b)(6) deposition of CSU’s corporate designee must be completed by 5:00 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. Given the October 5, 2023, filing deadline before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the court will not extend or modify these deadlines.”

In the CSU documents, which went viral late Monday night, the institution responded to Atiku’s four requests.

Responding to Atiku’s request for “A true and correct copy of any diploma issued by CSU in 1979 to Mr Tinubu,” the US varsity said: “CSU does not, in the ordinary course, keep copies of student diplomas, and after the diligent search cannot locate a copy of the original diploma it prepared for Mr Tinubu in 1979, hence, has no documents responsive to this request.”

Atiku intends to use the CSU academic record in pursuit of his appeal at the Supreme Court where he is challenging Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election.

But Tinubu’s legal team has argued that the documents would be of no use at the Supreme Court.

At the 1968 US Championships in Sacramento, Hines became the first man to officially go below 10 seconds for 100m, running a hand-timed 9.9sec.

Later that year, in winning the 1968 Olympic 100m gold medal at altitude in Mexico City, Hines lowered the world record to an electronic timing of 9.95sec.

Remarkably, that record stood for 15 years – the longest of any men’s 100m world record in the fully automatic era.

It was finally broken by another American, Calvin Smith, in 1983 with 9.93sec, also at altitude.

Hines, the son of a construction worker, was born in Dumas, Arkansas, in September 1946, but was raised in Oakland, California.

His early passion was for baseball but athletics coach Jim Coleman spotted his talent for sprinting and by the time Hines was 17, he already ranked among the top 20 in the world over 100 yards.

He attended Texas Southern University and his first podium finish in the US Championships came in 1965 when he came second in the 200m.

At the Mexico Olympics he led home Lennox Miller of Jamaica and Charles Greene in the 100m, setting the new world record.

Hines added another Olympic gold medal — and world record — when he anchored the USA to gold in the 4x100m relay in 38.24.

Soon after the Olympics, burglars broke into his home in Houston and stole his gold medals. But after placing an advert in his local newspaper appealing for the medals to be returned, they were posted back to him in a plain brown envelope.

Hines retired from athletics at the end of 1968 and went on to play in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.

This was contained in a press statement by the US Consulate General released on Monday.

The Federal Government had directed the full implementation of a new visa reciprocity policy for citizens of the United States of America with effect from March 1, 2023.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said the directive was issued following approval for the implementation of the new Bilateral Consular Policy Agreements between the two governments.

According to Aregbesola, the agreements amongst others include the reciprocity of five-year tourist visa validity for American Citizens pursuant to Section 30 of the Immigration Act, 2015; Extension of visa validity to three years for diplomats and government officials between the citizens of Nigeria and the United States of America.

The statement by the US Consulate on Monday also assured that the cost of the visa fee still remains the same.

The statement reads, “Effective March 1, 2023, the U.S. Mission will increase visitor visa validity from 24 months to 60 months for Nigerians who want to enter the United States temporarily for business and/or tourism. The visa validity extension allows Nigerians to use the visa for 60 months to make short trips to the United States for tourism or business purposes before having to renew their visa. The visa application fee, currently USD160, will not increase as a result of the increased visa validity.

Increasing visa validity is one of several initiatives taken by the United States to reduce visa appointment wait times in Nigeria. The U.S. Mission continues to offer No-Interview Visa Renewals to those who meet the eligibility criteria. Appointments for No-Interview Visa Renewals are readily available.

“No-Interview Visa Renewal

“You may be eligible for a visa renewal without an interview if your application is for a B1/B2, F, M, J (academic only), H, L, or C1/D (combined only) visa, AND you meet each of the following criteria: You are physically present in Nigeria. Your previous visa was issued in Nigeria. Your previous visa is in the same classification as your current application. Your previous visa was a full-validity, multiple-entry visa. Your previous visa expired within the last 48 months or will expire in the next 3 months from the date of application. You have all your passports covering the entire period since receiving the previous visa and the passport with the most recent visa. You have never been arrested or convicted of any crime or offense in the United States, even if you later received a waiver or pardon.You have never worked without authorization or remained beyond your permitted time in the United States.Please see our website at https://ng.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/ for further information.Please note that processing times for the program are expected to be up to two months and you will not be able to retrieve your passport during that time. Each applicant must individually meet the criteria; minors can apply without an interview only if they meet the eligibility criteria on their own.”