Pastor Tunde Bakare, the general overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, has said that Nigerian singer and rapper Mohbad met his demise due to his association with “evil” people and his engagement in vices such as drinking and smoking.

Mr Bakare made the remarks during a sermon delivered on a Sunday in Leicester, United Kingdom. 

“My wife and I listened to a tape last night on Mohbad. How many of you know Mohbad? The Nigerian artiste who died at 27? Mohbad,” he quizzed.

According to Mr Bakare, Mohbad suffered the consequences for involving himself with evil companions.

“When he was drinking and smoking and associating with evil men, he did not know that the harvest would come so soon and that he would soon be cut down at the prime of youth,” he said.

While Mr Bakare clarified that he was not blaming the rapper for his tragic fate, he questioned the inspiration behind the artiste’s chosen stage name.

“I am not blaming him; I am just telling you. Is Mohbad a good name? Moh Bad,” Mr Bakare pondered.

He went on to illustrate the significance of nicknames with a personal anecdote.

“There was a young man older than I am. He was a driver, and his nickname was Eshu (devil). Everywhere he went, people hailed him as Eshu, and he would acknowledge them.

“The day he crashed the car, and he killed people, and they threw him behind jail when he was brought out, he said ‘Mii sesu mii nse esu’ (I am not the devil),” Mr Bakare explained.

Mohbad, whose real name was Ilerioluwa Aloba, passed away under controversial circumstances. 

Naira Marley and Sam Larry have been fingered as major suspects in the rapper’s tragic demise.

While the suspects have faced public condemnation, the Lagos State Police Command has successfully exhumed Mohbad’s body for autopsy to determine the cause of his death.