Sam Larry Biography: Music Promotion, the Mohbad Case Timeline and the 2026 Road Accident

Sam Larry was a little-known Lagos entertainment promoter until a video began circulating online in September 2023 showing him and a group of men confronting singer Mohbad during a music video shoot.

Days later, Mohbad was dead, and Sam Larry became one of the most searched names in Nigerian entertainment, at the centre of a police investigation, a magistrate court case, and a legal battle that Mohbad’s family has continued to pursue into 2026.

Nigerian press reports have given his full name in more than one form. Several outlets, including The ICIR, Tribune, Channels Television and Sahara Reporters, have referred to him as Samson Balogun Eletu, while other reports, including one ICIR report and Outlook India, have used Balogun Olamilekan Eletu.

He is known publicly by his nickname, Sam Larry, and has been widely described in Nigerian media as a music promoter and socialite associated with singer Naira Marley.

Profile

Background as a Promoter

Little independently verified information exists about Sam Larry’s life or work before September 2023.

Nigerian outlets have consistently described him as a music promoter and socialite who moved in the same entertainment circles as Naira Marley, and reports say he had previously paid Mohbad to perform at an annual concert he organised in memory of his mother, at Ikorodu, Lagos.

Beyond that association, no reputable outlet has documented a broader professional biography, such as a company he runs, other artists he has promoted, or a verified date of birth.

The Petition and the Video Shoot Confrontation

According to a police petition Mohbad filed in June 2023, and later reported by TheCable, he alleged that Sam Larry led around fifteen armed men to disrupt a video shoot he was filming with fellow artist Zlatan, and that the group threatened him with guns and cutlasses.

Video footage that later circulated on social media appeared to show Sam Larry and several other men approaching the shoot and confronting Mohbad; TheCable reported that Zlatan intervened to prevent Sam Larry from striking Mohbad with what appeared to be a stick.

Mohbad’s petition additionally claimed the men said they were acting on behalf of a local monarch, Oba Elegushi; the Elegushi royal family later issued a statement denying any relationship with Sam Larry and calling for a full investigation into Mohbad’s death.

Sam Larry has disputed this account. Speaking to TheCable days after Mohbad’s death, he said the confrontation video was old footage from a previous year and maintained, “I cannot kill Mohbad. I love him so much.” He has separately said the dispute between them was over an unpaid 2 million naira performance fee rather than any physical threat.

Mohbad’s Death and the Police Investigation

Mohbad, born Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, died in Lagos on September 12, 2023, at the age of 27, days after reportedly being treated by an unlicensed nurse.

His death prompted public outrage and calls for a full inquiry, and his body was exhumed for autopsy on September 21, 2023, after complaints that the circumstances of his death were unclear. A coroner’s inquest was subsequently opened by the Lagos State government to examine the case.

Sam Larry had said publicly that he was out of Nigeria at the time, telling Gazette NGR in a statement, “I have been away since August 20!” and that he had been in Kenya scouting a performer. He was arrested immediately after returning to Nigeria and arriving at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

The Lagos State Police Command confirmed the arrest through its spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, who said in a statement reported by The ICIR, “Balogun Olamilekan Eletu aka Sam Larry is now in our custody.” Naira Marley was also taken in for questioning days later.

Both men were arraigned before a Yaba Magistrate’s Court on October 6, 2023, and remanded in custody, before being granted bail of 20 million naira in November 2023 and released after meeting their bail conditions.

Case Timeline

Discharge and the Continuing Push to Reopen the Case

On February 25, 2025, a magistrate court in Sabo, Yaba, discharged Sam Larry, Naira Marley, Primeboy and Mohbad’s former manager Opere Babatunde, after the Directorate of Public Prosecutions in Lagos State issued legal advice that the four had no case to answer over Mohbad’s death, according to reports from The ICIR and Sahara Reporters.

Separately, the DPP said it would prosecute the nurse who treated Mohbad and a friend who was with him, on charges of reckless and negligent conduct, though not for causing his death directly.

Mohbad’s father, Joseph Aloba, did not accept the outcome. Through his lawyer, Wahab Shittu, he petitioned the Lagos High Court in March 2025 to quash the DPP’s legal advice, arguing it had pre-empted the coroner’s inquest, which had not yet concluded.

On July 2, 2025, Justice Taiwo Olatokun of the Ikeja High Court dismissed that application, ruling that the Attorney General’s power to decide whether to prosecute could not be challenged in that manner, according to Channels Television and Lawyard. The dismissal ended that particular legal route, but not the wider campaign for a fresh inquiry.

As of September 2026, a separate suit filed by the Break the Silence Foundation was before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling the police to reopen their investigation into Mohbad’s death; Tribune Online reported that Justice James Omotosho had fixed September 29, 2026, for judgment in that case, and noted that the ruling would decide only whether a fresh police investigation should proceed, not the guilt of any individual.

Public Statements and the VeryDarkMan Interview

Sam Larry largely avoided public comment for close to two years after Mohbad’s death, beyond the brief 2023 statements made through TheCable and Gazette NGR.

In 2025, he agreed to a lengthy on-camera interview with Nigerian online activist Martin “VeryDarkMan” Otse, in which he again denied physically assaulting Mohbad.

According to Premium Times’ account of the interview, republished by AllAfrica, he said the confrontation at the video shoot was solely about money Mohbad allegedly owed him, stating, “I didn’t threaten Mohbad with boys.”

He said Zlatan could confirm his version of events. The interview and a related leaked audio recording renewed public debate about the case and drew further commentary from Nigerian entertainment figures.

The 2026 Road Accident

In early July 2026, Sam Larry was hospitalised after the vehicle carrying him and a bouncer collided with a trailer on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in Lagos State, according to Vanguard. His bouncer died from injuries sustained in the crash; Sam Larry survived.

At the time, Vanguard reported no official statement had yet been issued by his family or management on his condition, though entertainment figures including comedian Mario Wazobia publicly asked for prayers for his recovery.

Later that month, TikTok personality Habeeb Hamzat, known as Peller, said in a podcast interview reported by Vanguard that he had planned to travel in the same vehicle that day but was unable to join because he had been in police custody on an unrelated matter.

Sources

• The ICIR — Police Arrest Sam Larry Over Mohbad’s Death
• The ICIR — Mohbad’s Death: Court Clears Naira Marley, Sam Larry
• TheCable Lifestyle — Sam Larry Speaks on Mohbad’s Death
• Gazette NGR — Sam Larry Denies Killing Mohbad, Says He Was in Kenya
• Gazette NGR — Oba Elegushi Calls for Investigation Into Mohbad Death, Denies Ties With Sam Larry
• AllAfrica / NAN — Mohbad: Police Release Naira Marley, Sam Larry
• Sahara Reporters — Lagos Magistrate Court Clears Naira Marley, Sam Larry, Primeboy in Mohbad’s Death Case
• Channels Television — Mohbad’s Father Asks Court to Quash Advice Freeing Naira Marley, Sam Larry
• Lawyard — Court Rules Against Father’s Plea to Reopen Naira Marley, Sam Larry’s Case
• AllAfrica / Premium Times — ‘Zlatan Knows I Never Touched Mohbad’ – Sam Larry
• Tribune Online — Mohbad: Family, Fans Await Sept 29 Judgment
• Vanguard — Sam Larry Hospitalised, Bouncer Dies in Lagos Road Crash
• Vanguard — ‘I Was Supposed to Be in Sam Larry’s Car Day He’d Accident’ – Peller

Zeez

Zeez is the editor and founder of BioOrbit, where he researches and writes biographies of public figures from Nigeria and around the world. With 5 years of experience writing about news, entertainment, sports and politics, Zeez focuses on verified facts, clear sourcing and regular updates. Found an error? Report a correction.