The magistrate presiding over the Coroner’s court investigating the death of the late musician, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, in Ikorodu, Mrs. T.A Shotobi has been asked to recuse from the case or publicly deny that she had a conversation with a third party on the matter. 

In a letter to the Chief Coroner’s Office and the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission, signed by former counsel to Aloba family, Barr Taiwo Odumosu, he alleged that Mrs. Shotobi had conversations with a third party in the matter she was presiding upon where she allegedly disparaged his professional standing. 

The letter stated: ‘I am reaching out formally regarding a troubling development concerning a blog post by one Ms. Bukky Jesse, an online blogger who supports Mr. Joseph Aloba and whom Mr. Aloba has referred to as his “Mouthpiece”. 

In one of her blog posts, Ms. Jesse alleged that a conversation took place between Your Honour and an individual she referred to as her “Aunty.” This purported conversation reportedly included discussions on the proceedings of the Mohbad case at the Coroner’s Court’. 

Odumosu said ‘It is against the ethics of judges to discuss issues being presided over by them with outsiders’. 

Odumosu in the letter to Shotobi said ‘If such a conversation did not take place, it is imperative that you issue a public statement categorically denying it. However, if there is any truth to the allegations, then the integrity of the judicial process in this case has been severely compromised, necessitating Your Honour’s immediate recusal from further handling the matter.’

Citing judicial authorities, Odumosu said in Ogunyemi v. State (2001) 1 NWLR (Pt. 693) 26, the Supreme Court of Nigeria held that any form of external influence or private conversation by a judge about a case before them is a fundamental violation of fair trial principles. Also in the case of Amaechi v. INEC (2008) 5 NWLR (Pt. 1080) 227 the superior court also reiterates the importance of judicial neutrality and the prohibition of extrajudicial statements.

Odumosu urged the presiding Magistrate at the Coroner’s Court to issue a formal statement unequivocally denying the alleged conversation if it did not occur or immediately recuse herself from further proceedings in the Mohbad case to preserve the integrity of the judiciary and public confidence in the legal process. He also stated that if the magistrate failed to act accordingly, he would be compelled to petition the appropriate authorities, including the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission (LSJSC), for an independent investigation into the matter.