Sam Larry and Naira Marley granted bail after weeks in detention

• Naira Marley and Sam Larry, facing allegations of being linked to Mohbad’s unfortunate demise, received a glimmer of hope when the Sabo-Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court granted them bail.
• The duo’s get-out-of-jail card came shortly after they took a bold step by filing a fundamental rights suit against the magistrate and the police, contesting their prolonged detention.

Popular Nigerian Rapper, Naira Marley and his close ally, Sam Larry, have been granted bail, with the stipulation that each of them must enlist three individuals as sureties, who must each provide a significant amount of 20 million naira.

Videos on social media had shown Larry physically assaulting the late Mobad, while other videos showed boys suspected to be under the orders of the Marley attacking the late rapper.

The duo were arrested on their return to Nigeria after they were linked to the death of Mohbad.

The Lagos magistrate, Adeola Olatubosun, ordered the remand for 21 days in the police State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCID) and adjourned the case until 25 October.

During court proceedings today, as a twist in their bail conditions, the magistrate demanded that Sam Larry and Naira Marley must relinquish their international passports and pay a weekly visit to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The court also sternly cautioned that any attempts to contact her directly would be recorded and potentially disclosed in open court proceedings.

This is coming days after Naira Marley and Sam Larry filed a fundamental rights suit to challenge their “continued detention” over the death of singer,  Mohbad.

The duo demanded N20m damages from the police and the Lagos magistrate, Adeola Olatunbosun.

Olalekan Ojo (SAN), the counsel for Naira Marley and Sam Larry, said both defendants urged the court to declare that the continued detention “at the Homicide Section of the Lagos State Police Command, Panti, Yaba, Lagos State since October 4, 2023” constituted a violation of their rights.

They argued that the magistrate ordered their remand for only 21 days and the period had elapsed. They are seeking “an order of the court releasing the applicants forthwith.”