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US lab debunks conducting poison test on Mohbad

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7 months ago

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The management of the National Medical Services Laboratories in Pennsylvania, United States of America, has refuted the claim by the Lagos State Government that a toxicology test to ascertain the cause of the death of singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad, was conducted at its facility.

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.

We had reported that 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. Here is the link where he said so at 32:21 (https://youtu.be/SW59DTJZV3I?si=ty0OaXJSTvfuC4Oz).

“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.”

Responding to newsmen on May 17, 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.

His death also led to the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial Lagos socialite, Balogun Eletu, also known as Sam Larry, amongst others.

The singer’s body was on September 21, 2023, exhumed for autopsy to unravel the cause of his death.

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Apostle Femi Lazarus, others top Spotify most streamed podcasts in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa

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8 hours ago

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December 14, 2024 1:51 pm

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Online streaming platform, Spotify, has unveiled the top five most streamed podcasts in Nigeria, Kenya and South, for 2024.

Spotify’s Sub-Saharan Africa Podcast Manager, Ncebakazi Manzi, in a statement on Thursday, said that “Apostle Femi Lazarus” remained the most streamed podcast in Nigeria.

Manzi said others were: “Motivation Daily by Motiversity”, Success Addicted Podcast with the voice of Earl Nightingale ; Napoleon Hill ; Jim Rohn and many more”, “Apostle Joshua Selman and The HonestBunch Podcast.

She said the top five most streamed podcasts in South Africa were: “The Joe Rogan Experience”, “The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett”, “What Now? With Trevor Noah”, “Motivation Daily by Motivarsity” and “Podcast and Chil with MacG”.

For the top five most streamed podcasts in Kenya, Manzi said they were: “The97sPodcast”, “So This Is Love”, “The Mkurugenzi Podcast”, “Mic Cheque Podcast” and “The Sandwich Podcast”.

She described podcasts as one of Africa’s favourite ways to tell stories.

She said with almost four billion minutes of podcast audio played in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, the continent’s appetite for the content had become loud and clear.

“South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya listened to the most shows this year, with South Africa contributing over two billion minutes.

“The numbers don’t lie. Podcasting is here to stay because it lets creators take control of their narratives and tell these stories on their terms while bringing their community along for the journey.

“Podcasts are personal, but trends do exist across the continent’s leading markets and beyond,” she said.

Manzi said that motivational shows around issues like managing finances, relationships, personal goals and health remained popular across the three leading countries.

She said shows like “The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett”, “Motivation Daily by Motiversity” and “The Success Addicted Podcast” have attracted listeners who wanted to get their lives in order and learn from the stories of inspirational people.

“Audiences in Nigeria and South Africa embrace shows about spirituality.

“Christian Motivation had one of the most shared episodes in South Africa while “Apostle Joshua Selman” maintained his popularity in Nigeria for another year.

“As the continent’s second-largest podcast market, Nigeria listened to 700 million minutes in 2024 and it created half of the new shows published in Sub-Saharan Africa this year.

“Even though spirituality dominated Nigeria’s top charts, the continued popularity of shows like “I Said What I Said” and “The HonestBunch Podcast” tell us that listeners also want conversation-style shows.

“Listeners in Kenya and South Africa also showed affinity toward these shows,” she said.

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Legalising marijuana is one of US and Canada’s greatest mistakes, says Elton John

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9 hours ago

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December 14, 2024 12:13 pm

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Elton John, the iconic British singer, has spoken against the legalisation of marijuana in America and Canada, calling it “one of the greatest mistakes of all time”.

In an interview with Time Magazine, the ‘Sacrifice’ hitmaker shared his concerns about the dangers of cannabis, citing its addictive nature and potential to lead users to other drugs.

John revealed that he has personal experience with marijuana and warned that it impairs normal thinking.

“I maintain that it is addictive. It leads to other drugs. And when you are stoned—and I have been stoned, you do not think normally,” he said.

“Legalising marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.”

The 77-year-old also expressed regret over not being able to help his friend George Michael, the late British singer, who struggled with substance abuse.

Micheal died on December 25, 2016 at the age of 53 from heart and liver related issues.

“It is tough to tell someone that they are being an ae, and it is tough to hear. Eventually I made the choice to admit that I am being an ae,” he added.

John is one of the best-selling artistes of all time. He is known for hits like ‘Your Song’, ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘I’m Still Standing’.

He has sold over 300 million records worldwide in a music career spanning six decades.

The singer recently revealed that he has lost his eyesight.

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Entertainment

Williams Uchemba, wife welcome second child

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2 days ago

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December 13, 2024 9:10 am

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Williams Uchemba, the Nigerian actor, and Brunella Oscar, his wife, have welcomed their second child.

The actor recently took to Instagram to reveal that the baby was born on December 9.

Uchemba said he was in Nigeria attending a meeting while his wife was in labor in the United Kingdom.

The 31-year-old said despite the distance, he traveled from Enugu to London to be by his wife’s side, presenting her with a bouquet at the hospital.

The film star praised his wife, describing her as “one of the strongest women” he knows. He also shared a heartwarming clip of himself holding his baby named ‘Ethan Chidubem Uchembah’.

“I was having a meeting in Enugu and my wife called me hey baby how are you? And for the first time in our life, my life replied: ‘I am not fine’. I have never heard use those words,” he wrote.

“It seems baby wants to come today. I knew I had to find my way to London tonight.
Thankfully, there was a last flight From Enugu to Lagos.

“Landed in Lagos and started making my way to the international airport.

“My baby is here and I am 40,000 feet above sea level. All I had was Thanksgiving and praise.”

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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