By Akinsuroju Abiodun Olubunmi
Oxlade Clarifies Restriction of Mohbad’s Instagram Account
Popular Nigerian Afrobeat artiste, Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, widely known as Oxlade, has shed light on why he restricted the Instagram account of the late Nigerian rapper Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, famously known as Mohbad.
Since Mohbad’s passing on September 12, tributes from celebrities, fans, and Nigerians at large have continued to pour in for the ‘peace’ hitmaker.
Oxlade, in paying his respects to Mohbad, shared a screenshot of their Instagram conversation. However, upon closer examination, it was evident that Mohbad’s account had been placed on restriction, a move that drew criticism from some Nigerians on various social media platforms.
Though the ‘Kulosa’ crooner later deleted the screenshot, he has faced significant backlash for his action.
Addressing the situation on his X (formerly Twitter) account late Friday, Oxlade clarified that he restricted Mohbad’s account not as a form of disrespect or neglect, but to ensure he could respond adequately to Mohbad’s message.
He explained that his social media accounts are managed by his record label, and restricting an account signals to his label that messages from such accounts hold particular importance.
Despite receiving death threats over the incident, Oxlade maintained that he did not take them personally.
In a detailed statement, he expressed, “Tape drop, I no talk. Lawsuit matter, I no talk. Lost endorsements. I still did not send it. You drag me for TikTok. Call me oxtail. Because the doctor put me on vocal rest for nodules, you people still neva cared, but I still never send.”
“On this matter, I won’t be quiet. How do you think people like me manage the DMs? We have teams. I restrict certain accounts to only me/my phone so only I can reply. I’m not clearing my name. I am giving you facts.”
“I’ve lost a friend, and I can’t grieve properly because elders and blogs want to use me for clickbait. Fighting against bullying, but you are bullying me. Make it make sense. I’m not speaking on this again, please. Let’s focus on getting justice. Make una use una time to do better things and leave other people to live.”
“Note: I only restrict accounts I have a personal relationship with because my label runs my account in order not to miss important bookings and business conversations. So the restricted account is a way of pointing out to my label that the messages from these accounts are private and come from my close friends.”
“I have been getting death threats ever since the event was unveiled but I don’t take anything personal because everything happens for a reason. You can silence me with a scandal but you can never dim my light. Imole season for a reason. Love; Gaza.”