Mohbad: ATvFJ Charges Govt On Compulsory Paternity Test
Independent, Nigeria, May 19,2024
Mohbad
…Offers Free DNA Tests For Nigerians
Following the controversies arising from the untimely death of Nigerian rapper and singer, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, aka Mohbad, and the paternity of his son, the African Television Foundation for Justice (ATvFJ) has urged the Nigerian government to ensure a compulsory paternity test for every child born in the country.
In addition, the Foundation is offering free DNA tests for every Nigerian child.
Larry Omodia, CEO of the ATvFJ, disclosed this during Mohbad’s coroner inquest, which took place at Ikorodu Magistrate Court, Ikorodu, in Lagos, recently.
It would, however, be noted that during the coroner inquest, one of the suspects in the case, Ibrahim Owodunni, popularly known as Primeboy, testified that Mohbad doubted the paternity of his son as he told his wife, Omowunmi Aloba, that he only had intimacy with her once before she showed up with the news of the pregnancy.
Omodia, who noted that the Foundation is also offering a N50million reward to anybody with useful information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of perpetrators of the alleged murder of Mohbad, narrated that a lot of men were being victimised in Nigeria and all over the world.
“The free DNA to all Nigerians was borne out of Mohbad’s wife’s refusal to conduct a DNA test on the child.
“We offered her N10m (ten million naira) to support the child believing that the baby is Mohbad’s, that is, if the result comes out positive for Mohbad. It is a way of supporting Mohbad and the child.
“But, she refused despite a court order for her to appear in court for the DNA test.
“The victimisation of the male gender is so painful. Even in America and some other foreign countries, some men have been sent to jail because of failure to pay child support for children.
“And, in some cases, we have come to realise that those men go to jail for nothing because when DNA is finally conducted on the children, they realise the children don’t belong to them. So, the men have gone to a great extent of suffering.”
The ATvFJ CEO maintained that the Nigerian government should ensure that before any birth certificate is issued on any child and before the naming of the baby, there would be a compulsory paternity test.
“The whole point is to make the Nigerian government be probably the first country in the world to make DNA tests compulsory because if there is a need for a birth certificate, there should also be a need for a paternity certificate.
“Once you have a paternity certificate, both father and mother are at peace.
“We are hoping to bring the machines to Nigeria where people can go to a particular centre, register, get an appointment and come with their results.”
