US Lab Denies Conducting Toxicology Test on Mohbad

The administration of the National Medical Services Laboratories in Pennsylvania, United States of America, has denied that the Lagos State Government conducted a toxicology test to determine the cause of singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, alias Mohbad's death, at its facility.

The NMS Labs disclosed the information in response to Punch's question. Recall that on May 15, a pathologist testified before the Coroner's Court that an autopsy could not determine Mohbad's cause of death since his corpse had degraded. 

O. Akinde, counsel for the state government, told the Coroner's Court in the Ikorodu area of the state sometime in November 2023 that a toxicology test, which is part of an autopsy to ascertain the cause of Mohbad's death, was performed in the United States.

To back up this claim, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, stated during a live phone call with Ahmad Isah, the anchor of an Abuja-based online program, Brekete Family, in February 2024, that the toxicology test was being conducted at the NMS Labs in Pennsylvania, USA.

According to reports, the test result reached Nigeria at some point in April 2024 and was given to a pathologist for analysis. The pathologist told the coroner's court that because Mohbad's body had decayed, the autopsy was unable to determine the cause of his death.

Punch then sent the aforementioned lab to inquire about whether or not a toxicology test had been carried out at their establishment to ascertain Mohbad's cause of death.  

In response to the correspondence dated May 17, Esther Dede, a Client Services Associate in the Forensics Division of NMS Labs, denied that Mohbad's toxicology test was carried out in any of their facilities, as stated by the state government.

“Unfortunately, we do not have a case for that patient. To maintain our compliance with HIPAA privacy regulations, we would need authorization from the submitting agency.”