A professional driver who transported the late Afrobeat singer Mohbad to a show on the day of his demise has shared a detailed eyewitness account of the events that transpired between the singer, his close associate Primeboy, and his wife, Wunmi.
The driver testified at the ongoing coroner’s inquest on Friday, revealing that Mohbad appeared emotionally unsettled throughout the day and was involved in multiple heated arguments, particularly with his wife.
“I am into the business of car hiring and have been doing this for over 20 years,” he began, as he recalled his experience with the late singer. “On the day of the show, I went to Mohbad’s house. He came out with his wife and son looking happy and was playing with his child.”
According to the driver, the atmosphere quickly changed once they set off for the event. During the drive, Mohbad and Wunmi began arguing in Yoruba. The driver mentioned that due to the language barrier, he could only understand parts of their conversation but caught a few clear words. “The only thing I heard clearly was when Wunmi said in pidgin, ‘you dey disgrace me and your pikin.’ She even threatened not to go again, but we all pleaded with her,” he recounted, highlighting the tension between the couple. The situation appeared to worsen as the journey continued.
At the venue, Mohbad performed his set and was escorted back to the vehicle by soldiers after the performance due to the pressure from a crowd of area boys asking for money. The driver explained that Mohbad became agitated and attempted to confront the crowd. He intervened, pleading with the singer to remain calm. However, this outburst allegedly triggered a fight between Mohbad and Primeboy.
“He told Primeboy to get down and began punching him. Primeboy kept saying, ‘Mohbad I can’t fight you, I can’t touch you,’ but Mohbad didn’t stop. He kept hitting him. It was when Primeboy dodged one blow that Mohbad’s hand struck the Prado’s glass, and he injured himself,” the driver explained in detail. He described how Mohbad’s injury left visible bloodstains on the vehicle’s footmat and even on Wunmi’s clothes, adding to the escalating tension inside the car. Despite the injury, the atmosphere only grew more intense during the drive home.
“Mohbad and Wunmi started arguing again. She insulted him, calling him names like ‘oloriburuku’ and ‘oloshi.’ She even claimed she once helped him borrow N200,000 in 2020 which he gave to his mother. Mohbad replied that he would pay her back. Then she grabbed him by the shirt collar tightly until his necklace broke,” the driver stated. He was clearly disturbed by the actions he witnessed, adding, “If Wunmi was my wife, I would have beaten her blue-black for the nonsense she did in that car.” The driver’s anger reflected the intense nature of the argument between the couple, one that seemed to have boiled over into physical aggression.
The driver also addressed the circulating rumors regarding Mohbad’s alleged attempt to throw his son into a river, which had fueled further controversy. He was adamant in refuting the claim, saying, “That never happened. It’s not true.” His strong denial seemed to stem from a desire to set the record straight, offering a different perspective on the rumors that had been spreading.
Upon returning home, the driver urged both Mohbad and Wunmi to calm down. At that point, he made the decision to sleep outside in the car, likely due to the heightened emotions and the ongoing tension between the couple. However, in the early hours of the morning, around 3 a.m., some of Mohbad’s associates approached the driver, asking him to drive them to a pharmacy. Due to a lack of fuel, the driver declined to assist. This moment of unrest would become even more significant the following day.
By the morning, the driver knocked on the gate, but received no response. It wasn’t until around 11 a.m. that Wunmi came out, telling the driver she had assumed he had already left. She then agreed to compensate him for the damaged vehicle, though the driver was still processing the events that had unfolded the previous night.
Shockingly, the following day, the driver received a call instructing him to report to the nearest police station. He was left stunned, as a friend later broke the tragic news of Mohbad’s death to him. “I was shocked, How come?” he said emotionally, reflecting on the devastation he felt upon learning about the singer's passing.
The driver’s testimony adds to the growing layers of events surrounding the singer’s final hours, further fueling public interest in the circumstances leading to Mohbad’s mysterious death. His detailed account continues to shed light on the turbulent and unsettling moments that may have contributed to the tragic loss of the beloved Afrobeat star.