Omowunmi, the widow of the late Nigerian singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has accused her late husband’s father, Joseph Aloba, of evading a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test to resolve the ongoing paternity dispute over her son with Mohbad.
The controversy escalated following a July 9, 2024, ruling by the Magistrates Court in Ikorodu, Lagos State, which directed both parties to explore Alternative Dispute Resolution. Despite closed-door negotiations, no agreement was reached.
Joseph Aloba had initiated the legal suit, seeking a DNA test to confirm the paternity of his grandson. In October 2024, Monisola Odumosu, a representative of the family’s legal team, confirmed that Omowunmi had agreed to the DNA test and that both parties had drafted settlement terms.
The court further ordered that the test be conducted at a mutually agreed-upon laboratory or medical center within Nigeria.
To ensure and ascertain the reliability of the test, the court further appointed some officers to supervise the process of the DNA test.
However, a letter from Salawu Akingbolu Chambers, Omowunmi’s legal representatives, signed by Kabir Akingbolu and dated January 9, 2025, stated that Omowunmi admitted to rejecting Mohbad’s father’s choice of the UCH Ibadan, while he also rejected her choice of Lagoon Hospitals.
Omowunmi added that they had suggested The Eko Hospital and Reddington Hospitals to demonstrate transparency, as stated in their letter of December 11, 2024. However, Mohbad’s father did not respond.
The letter read, “We remain solicitors to the Respondent in the referenced suit and we have her express consent to write this letter to you.
“It would be recalled that we have exchanged a series of letters on the above but we seem not to be making any progress and it is sad. Suffice it to say that after we have duly responded to your letter dated December 5, 2024, which we received and acknowledged on December 9, 2024, we have patiently waited for your response but nothing of the sort to date.
“Although we objected to your choice of the UCH Ibadan because of the fact that the court itself observed for good reason that it is not proper after your client mentioned the same in open court.
“In the same vein, we have conceded all the same to your objection to us using Lagoon Hospitals even though no tenable reasons were given.
“Quite reasonably, in replacement, we chose two other hospitals which are: The Eko Hospital and Reddington Hospitals, just so for us to show that we absolutely have nothing to hide and this was contained in our letter of December 11, 2024.”
Omowunmi stated that, surprisingly, Mohbad’s father’s lawyer went on social media accusing her of not being ready for the DNA test.
“To our utter surprise however, instead of you responding to our letter of the above-quoted date, we saw Mr. Taiwo Odumosu of counsel, whom we have profound respect for and counsel for the Applicant, saying on social media that we are the ones who are not ready for the DNA, whereas that is not the case, and we are by this letter denouncing any such misrepresentation Mr. Taiwo Odumosu of counsel must have tainted us with on the social media. As a matter of fact, we deserve an apology for such unhealthy allegations,” the letter added.
She also lamented that Mohbad’s father defamed her son on social media.
“Also, and most unfortunate is the fact that we saw the Applicant on social media about three weeks ago, defaming and maligning Master Liam, and quite in his usual manner, portraying him as a bastard and this is very unacceptable, especially as the court had asked him to go and conduct the DNA that he is now obviously and quite surprisingly running away from in an irreconcilable irony. Very laughable,” the letter continued.
Omowunmi threatened to carry out the DNA test independently if Mohbad’s father continued delaying the matter.
“We want to ask you to promptly take steps or advise your client to do all that may be necessary to ensure the timely conduct of the DNA so that we can make progress. If your client, however, chooses to continue in this tardy manner and rather prefers the empty social media hype for bad reasons, you will leave us no other option than to conduct the DNA ourselves and publish the same for the whole world to see. We shall inform the court of our position in this regard, “ the letter stated.
In a response dated January 11, 2025, from Hillceetee Partners and signed by Emmanuel Oroko, Mohbad’s father denied the allegations, adding that Taiwo Odumosu never stated in any media interview that Omowunmi was not ready for the DNA test.
“Your letter dated January 9, 2025, with the above caption has been shown to our Mr Taiwo Odumosu and upon his instructions, we respond as follows.
“Mr Odumosu wishes to inform you that there was no time during his media interaction that he mentioned that your client ‘was not ready for the DNA’. What he was saying, which has been misinterpreted, was that the hospitals had yet to respond to enquiries on their readiness to conduct the test. We heard your client express sentiment in that respect after the media interaction.
“Mr Odumosu has absolute respect for your office and your client. He would not in any way derogate the professionalism and maturity both law firms have exhibited so far while the case lasted.”
Oroko, however, announced through the letter that their chambers would cease representing Mohbad’s father in the matter.
“This response is necessary as a courtesy to your good self and to set the record straight as our chambers no longer represent the Applicant, “the letter stated.
(Punch)
.jpg)