Wunmi, the widow of late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has expressed readiness to finally conduct a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test to determine the paternity of their son, Liam.
Recall that Mohbad died at the age of 27, with circumstances surrounding his death sparking controversies on social media.
Wunmi had also been at loggerheads with the deceased singer’s father, Joseph Aloba, over the issue of conducting a DNA test for his grandson.
In the application filed by the legal team to Joseph, the family sought an order to serve Wunmi by posting all the originating processes and other processes in the suit on the last-known address of the respondent.
However, the family’s legal team, led by Emmanuel Oroko, argued that attempts to serve Wunmi failed.
The Magistrates Court, during its sitting on July 9, 2024, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, directed both parties to explore an alternative dispute resolution, leading to closed-door negotiations that also failed to yield an agreement.
A representative of the family’s legal team, Monisola Odumosu, said in a statement obtained by Punch that Wunmi had agreed to carry out the DNA.
Odumosu said the latest development was followed by the settlement terms drafted by both parties.
According to Odumosu, Mohbad’s wife agreed in the settlement terms that the DNA test be conducted in a recognized and accredited government or private medical facility within Lagos State or another agreeable hospital outside the state.
The lawyer also noted that Mohbad’s father had agreed to bear the cost of the test processes and other associated fees.
The statement read, “Emmanuel Oroko informed the court that both parties had settled outside the court and are ready to move the terms of the settlement already filed and served on Wunmi Aloba’s lawyers. In response, Kabir Akingbolu, Esq. (leading Adams Atata Esq. and M.K.O Orire Esq.) concurred, and the court adopted the terms of settlement as the judgment of the court.
“In the terms filed before the court, the respondent, Wunmi Aloba, consented to submit herself and her son, (Master Liam Aloba), for the conduct of a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) at Two (2) recognised and accredited government or private medical facilities within Lagos State or other agreeable hospital outside Lagos State. In turn, the applicant, Mr. Joseph Aloba, agreed to bear the cost of the DNA test processes, including the fees for the testing facility, the collection of samples, and any associated legal or administrative fees.
“The court further ordered that the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test be conducted at a mutually agreed-upon laboratory or medical centre 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.”