Paternity Dispute Deepens as UK Labs Decline Mohbad Son’s DNA Test

Paternity Dispute Deepens as UK Labs Decline Mohbad Son’s DNA Test

The lingering paternity dispute surrounding the child of late singer Mohbad has taken a fresh turn, as two foreign laboratories approved by a Lagos Magistrate Court have declined to conduct a DNA test.

The development has further complicated the disagreement between the singer’s father, Joseph Aloba, and his widow, Wunmi Aloba, over the paternity of Liam, the child at the centre of the controversy.

A Magistrate Court sitting in Ikorodu had, about three weeks ago, approved three foreign laboratories; two in the United Kingdom and one in the United States to carry out the DNA analysis in a bid to resolve the dispute.

The approved facilities include Advanced Histopathology Laboratory Limited, selected by the court; AlphaBiolabs, chosen by the widow; and DNA Diagnostics Center, picked by the singer’s father.

However, in a statement issued on Thursday, legal counsel to Joseph Aloba, Oladayo Ogungbe, disclosed that the two UK-based laboratories had declined to undertake the test.

According to him, both laboratories cited their inability to handle post-mortem DNA analysis involving embalmed bodies.

“The two laboratories have clearly stated that they do not carry out post-mortem DNA testing on embalmed remains,” Ogungbe said, noting that the clarification followed preliminary inquiries by his client’s representatives.

The refusal has introduced a new layer of uncertainty into the already contentious matter, which has drawn significant public attention since the singer’s death.

Mohbad died under unclear circumstances in September 2023 and was buried shortly after. Following widespread outcry, his remains were exhumed about a week later for further investigation.

Since then, Joseph Aloba has consistently called for a DNA test to determine the paternity of the child, a demand that continues to fuel tensions between him and the late singer’s widow.