You let them call me a killer – Naira Marley pens emotional statement after court ruling

Abdullateef Fowewe

Nigeria singer, Azeez Fashola, alias Naira Marley has issued a heartfelt statement addressing the ongoing investigation into the death of fellow artist Mohbad.

In his emotional message on Wednesday, via X (formally Twitter), Naira Marley expresses pain and betrayal, stating that despite making peace with Mohbad, he was unfairly blamed for the singer’s death.

He emphasised that he faced the justice system head-on while others altered the narrative.

He wrote, “I never thought silence could be so loud. I never thought someone I called my brother, someone I protected, would leave this world with my name in his shadow. I have carried this weight, this pain, this shame that was never mine to bear. We, as Marlians, were not perfect. We had to grow, we had to adapt.

“Mistakes were made, but they were business-never war. I made peace with Mohbad. We understood each other beyond the noise, beyond the misunderstandings. And you know this. Yet when he took his last breath in you alls arms, you looked at the world and pointed at me. You let them tear me apart. You let them call me a killer while you sat there, knowing the truth. Now you tell the story?

“I welcomed you all into my home. I gave you my trust. And yet, my brother is gone, still not buried, and that is your fault. Telling the truth from the beginning would have given him the rest he deserves. Regardless I will always be there for him.
You never thought I would survive. You never thought I would walk through the fire and face my people, maybe you hoped I would stay a fugitive. You thought I would run. Instead, I stood before the justice system, spent time in jail, and faced everything head-on while you changed the story, again and again.

“But God sees all. The truth does not shake. The lies will fade, and time will reveal everything.
I have been broken, but I am not destroyed. And when the truth finally speaks, I pray your heart is strong enough to bear it.”

Naira Marley’s statement comes after a Magistrate Court in Sabo, Yaba, Lagos, on Tuesday, discharged Naira Marley, Sam Larry and Primeboy in connection with the death of Mohbad.

However, the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution has confirmed that it will prosecute the auxiliary nurse, Feyisayo Ogedengbe, who treated Mohbad, and Ayobami Sadiq, one of the late singer’s friends. They are being charged with reckless and negligent acts, in violation of Section 251 (e) of the Criminal Law, Ch C.17, Vol.3, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.