Taiwo Odumosu, a member of the Aloba family’s legal team, revealed this to PUNCH Online on Wednesday.
The US-based lab denied the Lagos State Government’s assertion that the toxicological test was carried out at its facility, as reported.
The information was made public in response to questions posed by our correspondent, who started an investigation to find out the reason behind the musician’s passing.
This was revealed to PUNCH Online on Wednesday by Taiwo Odumosu, a member of the Aloba family’s legal team.
It was exclusively revealed, the US-based lab denied that the toxicology test was carried out at its facility, despite the Lagos State Government’s assertion to the contrary.
The disclosure came as a result of our correspondent’s queries when he set out to gather information regarding the musician’s cause of death.
“Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient,” said Esther Dede, a Client Services Associate in the Forensics Division of NMS Labs, in response to PUNCH Metro’s question on May 17.
The legal team representing the family, however, claimed that there were contradictions about NMS Labs’ involvement. They further stated that the toxicology report included the facility’s address and letterhead despite the laboratory’s contradictory claims about their true role in the testing procedure.
However, in the face of contradictory reports and public apprehension regarding the veracity of the test results, the demonstrators requested explanation regarding the laboratory’s involvement.
The Justice for Mohbad organization and the legal team encouraged the facility to issue an official declaration regarding the toxicological tests performed on Mohbad’s samples in a letter that was given to NMS Labs and made available to PUNCH Online.
The letter said, in part, “We have learned of reports that your laboratory, NMS Labs, performed toxicology tests on samples of the late singer and songwriter, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, which were submitted by the Lagos State Government or other Nigerian government entities.
Since these reports also mentioned ITSI Biosciences as a partner that completed the toxicological test on behalf of NMS Labs, they have seriously raised public concerns and misunderstanding over the validity and source of the toxicology data. In its May 31, 2024, issue, The PUNCH—a well-known and reputable tabloid in Nigeria—said that US Laboratories denied testing Mohbad for poisoning. There is actual proof to support the tabloid’s claim that your prestigious organization is the source of the information.
They also wanted to know if samples from the Lagos State Government or any other Nigerian government agency were sent to the lab.
The statement said, “Given these circumstances, we kindly request that NMS Labs issue an official open letter or public statement clarifying that NMS Labs is not affiliated with any other laboratory that conducted toxicology tests on the aforementioned samples and that no toxicology test samples related to the late Ilerioluwa Aloba (Mohbad) were received by NMS Labs from the Lagos State Government or any other government body from Nigeria.”
In order to dispel false information and preserve its reputation, the legal team urged NMS Labs to release a public statement, highlighting the significance of accuracy and transparency in the situation.
“Any misinformation will be greatly dispelled and the public will be provided with correct and trustworthy information with the help of an official statement from NMS Laboratories. Additionally, it will support keeping your prestigious laboratory’s reputation and integrity intact in the eyes of the world community
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“We assure you that this request is made in the interest of justice and transparency, while also acknowledging the sensitivity and secrecy of such topics. We would greatly appreciate your cooperation and timely action in this situation, the statement continued.
