In the wake of the tragic death of Aloba Promise Oladimeji, better known as Mohbad, we find ourselves analyzing the issues after the deed has been done. We find ourselves reacting after we had already lost a young talent, when we could have stopped it from happening in the first instance. The best opportunity for the Nigerian police who had the duty to protect all citizens (including Mohbad) surfaced over three months ago when he petitioned the Nigerian Police about a threat to his life. Now, what we are left with is whether the Nigerian police is capable of finding out whether his death is linked to the bullying and threats he petitioned the police about on 27th June 2023, now that the deed had already been done.
The average Nigerian intellectual might not at first see why young people who are fans of the 27 year old Mohbad, are angry at the circumstances and events that led up to his death. This might be because Mohbad is a musician that sings about smoking, internet fraud, and everything stereotyped around that, and most people want to preserve their reputation more than they care about justice. But anyone with an eye can see that the issue is beyond Mohbad. The issue is beyond the stereotypes associated with Mohbad's musical message. This is about systemic injustice and unchecked power.
As I type this furiously, I am typing because I experience the kind of bullying that Mohbad experienced daily from thugs affiliated to political godfathers. Almost all poor working class Nigerian youths experience bullying, intimidation, and exploitation by those who wield political power and influence in their everyday life. This is primarily because of the lopsided distribution of police resources which does not only perpetuate the culture of impunity among political elites but also leaves ordinary citizens vulnerable to crime, violence, and exploitation. It is a betrayal of the trust that should exist between the police force and the people it is sworn to serve and protect.
In 2018, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Rasheed Akintunde claimed that 80 percent of Nigerian policemen are deployed to protect very few politicians and VIPS, leaving the remaining hundreds of millions of Nigerians with just 20 percent. In 2020, former IGP Soloman Arase confirmed that over 200,000 police officers are attached to political elites. This is a clear indication that, for the Nigerian police, political interests take precedence over the safety and welfare of the average Nigerian.
Many of us saw this during #EndSARS protests. While we were protesting against police brutality in Osogbo in 2020, the then Governor Oyetola sent in NURTW thugs led by Asiri Eniba to attack those of us protesting and the attack was supervised by they police, as they stood and watch as the attack was perpetrated. On another day of the protest, the Governor himself came to Olaiya junction and the thugs who accompanied the police in his convoy started attacking protesters. Three protesters died in Osogbo on the 17th of October 2020. Two died at the venue of the protest and the last person died of gunshot injuries at the then LAUTECH hospital. One of them was our DJ for the protest. While Oyetola claimed that he was attacked with stones, we should ask whether the DJ stoned him with his headset, or whether bullets and machetes are equivalent response to stones assuming that the stoning allegation was true.
The most socially significant part of the tragedy of Mohbad's life and death is the deafening silence of the Nigerian police in the face of his prolonged torment, and the cacophony of excuses that followed his death. The very institution that should exist to protect citizens, especially vulnerable youths like Mohbad, failed in their duty. Instead of intervening to shield him from the relentless bullying and harassment, they remained silent even after he had written a formal petition. Despite continuous posting on social media about how he was being attacked, the Nigerian Police kept silent.
It was after his death that they came to the same social media to say that social media is not police station. First, why do they have representation on social media then. It was on the same social media that DSP Bright Edafe PPRO Delta State came "Twitter is not Police Station! Twitter is not Police Station! Twitter is not Police Station! May his soul rest in Peace, Amen". On the same Twitter! The same Twitter (now X) that they used to carry out the media trial of Seun Kuti. What double standard! Why is he being paid with taxpayers money to tweet for the police as a PPRO, if Twitter is not police station? Such insensitive, irresponsible reaction!
Do cases have to be reported before the police investigate? What kind of reactive police work is that? IS that how they reactively protect the political elites they serve as bodyguard and bag carriers for? is it not their prerogative to take up public interest cases to ensure peace. It was after this blunder by Bright Edafe that the petition written by Mohbad three months ago on the threat to his life resurfaced on social media. so the case was even reported!
In the June petition, Mohbad mentioned Sam Larry (Samson Balogun), Elegushi, Elele, Obele and there is a video of the event on social media because Mohbad was shooting a music video when the bullies came to attack him. He complained about how they came with guns and cutlasses while he and Zlatan Ibile were making the music video and scatted the music video shooting while destroying the equipment worth Millions. He wrote that he narrowly escaped after sustaining injuries. Videos corroborating his injuries too are also online. Yet, the excuse of the Lagos Annex, Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, of the Nigeria Police Force, Zone 2, Alagbon was that “he never showed up, and there was nothing the police could do if a petitioner refused to defend their petition.” How do you expect him to show up while he is running for his life? How do you expect him to show up when he is seeing his bullies rollicking with government leaders and their families like Governor Sawnoolu. President Tinubu, Seyi Tinubu etc.? How? Is the evidence available not enough for the police to do their job?
In continuation of the cacophony of excuses, Ben Hundeyin, The Lagos Police PPRO went on Twitter to say that "the @LagosPoliceNG is headed by a Commissioner of Police. This petition was taken to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Lagos office, headed by a superior officer, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police.” Bureaucracy! That was the lame excuse. The only response that the Punch reporter who reached out to the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, got was “Ok. I will find out.” This is enough to see the body language of the police to this case. A proactive police would have preserved his body for autopsy before he was hurriedly buried.
The youth of Nigeria should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams and aspirations without the bullying, violence, or exploitation looming over them. Bullying, whether in secondary schools, universities, in the music industry, or elsewhere, is a scourge that must be eradicated because we have lost too many young people. In 2021, it was Sylvester Oromoni of Dowen College. Police anti-cultism squads pick up innocent youths on the streets so as to keep the money flowing while popular celebrity thugs like this Sam Larry and Abu Abel go about flaunting their ability to oppress people on social media. DJ Chicken was recently beaten up by Abu Abel's thugs and even press platforms were afraid to mention his name. Freedom of association is a fundamental right, but it should never be weaponized to oppress others. The culture of cultism and the anti-social activities that sometimes go hand in hand with such associations must be addressed or else we will be in a jungle.
For most Nigerian youths, #EndSARS was like the Court of Appeal trial of the Nigerian police and the police lost the case woefully. For most of them who are emotionally connected to Mohbad's music, they regard this as a Supreme court trial of the Nigerian Police. It one last chance for the NPF. I foresee a big loss for the NPF again, and I hope Nigerian youths learn the culture of voluntary and democratic self-defense as soon as possible.
We are all Mohbad. Mohbad is us. He was not just a musician; he was a young man trying to navigate a turbulent industry notorious for its exploitation of artistes. What makes his case particularly awful is the complicity of his former record label, Marlian Music, in his ordeal. Many times, he made it clear that he was been hunted by his former record label but no one paid any attention to him. Whether he died because of the mental blowback of their oppression, we need to know. Whether they were connected to his death or someone else took advantage of the controversy to end his life, we need to know. This is an indictment of an industry that prioritizes profit over the welfare of its artists, pushing them into depression and claiming that they are mentally unstable because of the depression they have pushed them into and the drugs they gave them to maximize the artistes' creativity for their own profit.
There are no individual solutions. The solution is not to just stop playing Naira Marley's beats or Olamide's music. While I don't condemn those who can do without music, I think an artiste and their art are two separate things that are just connected. I think, more importantly, what we should be talking about is preserving the right of creatives and artistes against exploitative contracts of a music industry that thrives on a culture of prebendalism and political patronage. What we should be doing is putting the police and the whole system on trial!
Omole Ibukun writes from Abuja