Wunmi Aloba dares Mohbad’s family over surname ban

Omowunmi, the widow of the late Afrobeats singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has publicly ignored a directive from the Aloba family instructing her to cease using the surname until the outcome of a court-ordered DNA test.

The family, represented by the head of the family, Omolayo Aloba, and Mohbad’s father, Joseph Aloba, had issued a statement outlining their position.

The statement stated that “no statutory or customary marriage was contracted between the late Mohbad and Wunmi Adebanjo, as the required Yoruba traditional rites (payment of bride price) were never completed.”

Consequently, they directed her to stop using the Aloba surname in public and private records.

However, Omowunmi swiftly responded to the directive. In an Instagram story posted on Thursday, November 13, she explicitly added ‘Aloba’ to her name in a direct move seemingly challenging the family’s demand. She wrote, “Please patronize Wunmi Aloba oo, Liam Aloba needs to be taken care of,” referencing her son.

The Aloba family also announced the appointment of three administrators—Ajewole Aloba, Rasaq Famuyiwa, and Alonge Aloba—to manage the deceased’s assets, royalties, and intellectual property. They clarified that recognition within the estate administration process for both mother and child, Liam, is conditional upon the DNA result confirming Mohbad as the biological father.

Meanwhile, Kabir Akingbolu, the legal representative for the late singer’s widow, has strongly condemned the family’s directive, labeling it as both illegal and sentimental. Akingbolu cited constitutional precedent supporting Wunmi’s right to continue using the name.

“Nobody can stop her from bearing Aloba. That is the name given to her by her husband, and under the law, she has every right to keep it. The Supreme Court, in the case of Ojukwu vs Ojukwu, held that no one has a monopoly over a surname,” Akingbolu stated, also suggesting that the family is avoiding the DNA test.

“They are the ones running from the DNA. We have always been ready — even if it’s today or tomorrow, we’ll be there,” he added.