Nigerian musician Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, has publicly denied any involvement in the death of his former signee, Ilerioluwa Aloba (Mohbad), whose controversial passing in September 2023 triggered nationwide protests and outrage.

In a video posted on the Marlian Music YouTube channel on Tuesday night, the singer refuted long-standing claims that he bullied or contributed to Mohbad’s death.

“I didn’t bully him and I didn’t kill him,” Marley said, addressing fans and critics alike. “I’m doing this video today for my whole Marlians around the world… especially the ones saying ‘Naira Marley might have bullied him, but he didn’t kill him.’ No, I didn’t bully him either.”

Marley, who returned to Nigeria in 2018 to pursue his music career, recalled several personal controversies, including his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2019 and how his rise to stardom made it difficult for him to live freely in the country.

Speaking on Mohbad’s troubled final months, he cited a series of issues the late singer was facing, the NDLEA incident, an attempted suicide, a fallout with his former manager, legal battles with his distributor, and a viral confrontation with associate Sam Larry.

According to Marley, Mohbad had reached out expressing a desire to apologise and resolve their differences. “I didn’t know he was going to die… If I knew, I would have probably let him come, but it was just too much for me at that point,” he said.

Addressing speculation that he may have been physically present when Mohbad died, Marley insisted he was abroad at the time. “I went to Amsterdam. I will show you videos with time and date. My main reason for travelling out of Nigeria was to spend time with my kids,” he stated.

He recalled the moment he first learned of Mohbad’s death, saying he initially dismissed the news as a publicity stunt until he saw it trending online. “I thought it was a lie, that he wanted to blow again… then Instablog said he died from an ear infection, and suddenly everyone was saying Naira Marley finally killed him.”

His video comes months after the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions cleared Marley, music promoter Sam Larry, and artist Primeboy of any involvement in Mohbad’s death.