Controversial social media personality, Martins Otse, aka VeryDarkMan, has once again stirred up online debates following fresh claims that popular actress, Iyabo Ojo, and some other persons allegedly tried to frame singer and record label boss, Naira Marley, for the death of the late singer and his former signee, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
Last week, VDM claimed he had obtained access to a WhatsApp group named “Concerned Citizens” where conversations allegedly took place to “control the narrative” surrounding Mohbad’s death.
Paternity dispute and alleged leaks
In a series of video posts on social media, VDM claimed that members of the group disregarded Mohbad’s father because he kept demanding for a DNA test to confirm the paternity of Mohbad’s son, Liam.
VDM alleged that the test had been conducted in two hospitals, and those in the group chat were aware of the results. He further claimed that he paid over N20m to gain access to the private chat.
However, music producer, Samklef, who is a part of the group, refuted the payment claim. He was of the opinion that someone in the group leaked the chat to VDM.”
Iyabo Ojo accuses police of breach of privacy in cybercrime petition
During the week, Ojo filed a petition against officers of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, accusing them of misconduct.
She claimed that VDM was allowed into the same interrogation room with her when she was invited to the police station to meet with Naira Marley and Sam Larry, without her prior knowledge or consent.
According to her, this amounted to a breach of privacy and procedure, especially since she was a complainant and witness in the case. She added that sensitive details were leaked online, which afterwards jeopardised her safety and the credibility of the investigation.
She therefore requested for the case be transferred to Lagos for a “more neutral and transparent handling”.
Recall that VDM had earlier claimed online that while Ojo was at the station, she apologised to Marley and Larry for making unsubstantiated claims against them.
Meanwhile, a former Marlian member and one of the people she interviewed following Mohbad’s death, Mathew Aderoju, aka Dj Splash, made a video during the week in which he claimed that Ojo lied. According to him, he never told her that Naira Marley drugged her son.
Cybersecurity analyst debunks hacking claim
Sunday Scoop reached out to a cybersecurity expert, Jerahmeel Madumere, who shed light on ways by which third parties can access private messages.
He said, “There is currently no evidence that VDM hacked WhatsApp. WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, which means that messages cannot be accessed or intercepted by anyone, not even WhatsApp itself. Based on VDM’s claims, I think he gained access to Iyabo Ojo’s private group chat by allegedly paying someone inside the group to leak information or grant access. This is not hacking in the technical sense, but rather a case of insider betrayal or social engineering.”
Madumere also explained how WhatsApp can be accessed through user-side vulnerabilities, saying, “WhatsApp logs, such as messages or call history, can only be accessed if someone compromises a user’s device, cloud backup, or account credentials. One possibility is through WhatsApp Web; if someone scans the QR code using the target’s phone, they can mirror that person’s entire WhatsApp session on their own computer.
“Another method could involve physical access to the person’s phone, where plugging the device into a computer might allow data extraction, especially if the phone is unlocked.”
Obtaining people’s chats illegally punishable but still admissible in court— Lawyer
A legal practitioner, Tolu Babaleye, also weighed in on the issue of unauthorised access to private messages and chats. He confirmed that such actions were punishable under the law.
“Under the new Cybersecurity act, it is illegal for you to record someone on phone without their consent, to hack people’s phones and to even access people’s private social media. It is punishable under the law,” he said.
However, he clarified that such illegally obtained “evidence” could still be admissible in court. He added, “For instance, if one has evidence relating to Mohbad’s death and it was not obtained in a formal way, the evidence can be given to the police to re-investigate the matter. If it is not relevant, the court would discard it.”
On his part, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the Cybercrime Act is actively enforced.
He reiterated to Sunday Scoop that once a report is made, due diligence will be carried out, and violators of the law would be brought to justice.
Mohbad’s dad speaks
In an interview with one of our correspondents, Mohbad’s father, Joseph Aloba, noted that the family was waiting for a court order to have the DNA test. He said, “We are still waiting for the court order, so all what VDM is saying (are just his opinion). I would not accept any result until I do my personal DNA. And it’s (court order) will be out on September 9, 2025.”
Asked to respond to a hacked WhatsApp group chat in which actress, Iyabo Ojo, insulted him, the senior Aloba said, “I don’t want to say anything about that for now, particularly because I have not heard from my lawyer. Some information might be rumours, so we want to take our time and know everything that is real.”
When he was informed that the messages were actually displayed online by VDM, Aloba, who is also a singer, said, “All those evidences he is talking about, I can’t say anything on them because he did not send them to me.”
Maintaining that he had always been truthful and sincere in his quest for justice for his son, he added, “I am not lying. I said everything I saw from the beginning and I never changed my story at any time.
“I don’t know where blood (I saw on his shirt when I got to Mohbad’s house after he died) came from. Also, in the early stage, I was not suspecting anybody. It was until I started hearing certain things that I began to have second thoughts.”
On why the family did not report the nurse who is said to have given Mohbad the fatal injection before things went viral, he stated that since he did not meet the nurse at the house when he got there, he did not consider that option.
Mohbad’s psychological struggles
Almost two years after his death, new light continues to be shed on the emotional and psychological battles Mohbad faced while alive.
Before his passing, the late singer reportedly battled some mental health issues— much of which his wife, friends, and several online videos seemed to confirm.
In an interview, Mohbad’s close friend and fellow artiste, Bella Shmurda, had revealed that the late singer had once attempted to take his own life due to issues with his former record label, Marlian Music.
Omowunmi, the late singer’s widow also spoke about his deteriorating mental state before his death. In a post shared on Instagram shortly after his passing, she painted a grim picture of what life had been like for the late artiste.
She wrote, “He (Mohbad) struggled till death; too many pains, threatening (sic). He always lived in fear; and continuously fought everywhere he went to. He was never happy for a whole day. He was called a junkie and mad person so that the public would have another view of him. He is dead now, so you have won; take your trophy.”
She also revealed that the birth of their son, Liam, added to the pressure the singer was facing, as he constantly worried about their future and safety.
Meanwhile, although Naira Marley and his associates, especially Sam Larry, have often been at the centre of his allegations, they weren’t the only ones the singer directed such accusations at.
A viral audio recording also revealed Mohbad stating that if anything happened to him, his wife should be held responsible.
Psychologist weighs in
Addressing speculations that Mohbad may have been under the influence of substances, a psychologist and Executive Director of the Global Initiative on Substance Abuse, Dr Martin Agwogie, stated that without an autopsy report, such assumptions remained speculative.
“What I can tell you is that psychoactive substances can influence people in different ways that are in deviation from the norm, but to tie it to this case is very difficult because there are so many issues that are involved beyond drugs,” he said.
Agwogie explained that suicidal thoughts and erratic behavior could be signs of substance abuse, but individual psychological and genetic differences must also be considered.
“They can either take their life or come up with ideas that will look like they want to take their life and even the lives of others. You can expect anything when one is under the influence of psychoactive substances,” he noted.
He stressed that psychoactive substances affected people differently, based on factors like age, genetics, body size, and even feeding habits.
He also pointed out that mixing medical drugs with illicit substances could result in unpredictable reactions, and only an autopsy can definitively determine such interactions.