Mr. Joseph Aloba, the father of Mohbad, has stepped forward to provide clarity regarding the swift burial of his son, addressing concerns that arose after the artist’s unexpected passing.
Mohbad, a rising star in the Nigerian music industry, passed away on September 12, 2023, which left both fans and the public shocked and grieving.
Many Nigerians had expressed their apprehensions about the unconventional choice of burial site, which was situated next to a cassava farm and was perceived as inappropriate for a celebrity of Mohbad’s stature.
However, Mr. Aloba has now offered an explanation in an attempt to alleviate these concerns.
In a video shared on Instagram by @temilolasobola, Mohbad’s father explained that the decision for a swift burial was influenced by cultural norms in Yoruba land. He pointed out that because Mohbad was relatively young at the time of his passing, local customs dictated that the body should not be kept for an extended period.
Mr. Aloba emphasized that if Mohbad had lived to an older age, they might have considered preserving his body in a morgue for a longer duration.
He explained, “In Yoruba land, his corpse is not the kind to be kept when both of his parents are still alive. Assuming he died at an older age, we might have considered putting his body in the mortuary and taking it at a later date. That same night we took him away from there and buried him where we did.”
Regarding the choice of burial site, Mr. Aloba clarified that it was selected because it was the only piece of land he knew Mohbad to own. He disclosed that Mohbad had given him the land with the intention of building a church on it. Therefore, considering the absence of any alternative land ownership, they opted to lay Mohbad to rest there.
“That land where Mohbad was buried is his only land; that’s the only land I know him to have owned. Truly, he gave me the land to build my church because we had both agreed to build the church there, and since that’s the only land I knew him to have…,” Mohbad’s father added.
