Splash, the DJ who worked for Naira Marley, battles mental health illness

Splash, the DJ who worked for Naira Marley, battles mental health illness

By Agnes Okoh 

Mathew Aderoju, the disc jockey better known as DJ Splash who is believed to have worked for Marlian Music, is battling mental health illness.

A few days ago, a voice recording of DJ Splash’s mother narrating how her son met with Naira Marley after winning a competition in 2021, surfaced on social media.

In the now-viral audio, she said the singer invited DJ Splash to live with him and also promised to cover his educational expenses.

DJ Splash’s mother said Naira Marley “failed to fulfill any of the promises he made to my son”. She said her son later asked to be taken away from the singer’s house.

She alleged that since leaving Naira Marley’s house, DJ Splash has been “mentally unstable”.

She added that “we have taken him to several hospitals”.

“The issue started in 2021 after he won a competition and was given N100,000. My son told me he met Naira Marley but I did not know who he was,” she said.

“Naira Marley called to plead with me to release my son to him but I told him that I wanted him to go to school. Naira Marley said he should come and stay with him and promised to send him to the university.

“After some time, I could not reach my son. One day, my son asked me to come get him and he kept saying something was wrong with him but did not know what it was.

“We later went to Naira Marley’s house in Lekki to pick him up. Since then, the problems have been massive. We have taken him to several hospitals.

“I sold all my things to get money to treat my son. After some time, he started remembering things. He wanted to jump inside a well in the house and we are still on the issue. Sometimes, he talks to himself.”

On Tuesday, Iyabo Ojo, the Nollywood actress, visited the ailing DJ and his family at their residence to show her support.

In the video of the visit shared via her Instagram page, Ojo said DJ Splash “needs justice against Naira Marley and his gang”.

The film star said she would get DJ Splash the necessary help to make him mentally stable and also alert law enforcement agencies to investigate the matter.

She said, “we failed Mohbad when he was alive but DJ Splash is still alive and we will not fail him”.

“Intimidation is a crime, drugging you and giving you any form of substance is a crime. Bullying, harassing and beating you is a crime,” she said.

“I am definitely going to meet the right authorities so that they can take up this case. DJ Splash needs justice against Naira Marley and his gang. We need to make sure that our children are in our country.

“We are going to get him the necessary help that he needs and make sure that his mental health is better. We failed Mohbad when he was alive but we will not fail him in death. DJ Splash is alive and we are not going to fail him.”

DJ Splash and Naira Marley
Speaking about his experience, DJ Splash said after expressing his desire to be a musician, “they tried to make me mad”.

“I lived in Naira Marley’s house for years but I also wanted to do music,” he said.

“After I explained my intentions to him, Naira Marley and his boys started planning to put something in my food and make me mad.

“I overheard their conversation. They tried their best to make me go mad so I stopped eating their food.”

On her part, DJ Splash mother’s said “we were even taken to synagogue concerning his health”.

“All his equipments have been taken away from him. I have nothing, I have spent everything on him,” she added.

Mohbad, a former Marlian Music signee, died last Tuesday at age 27 and was buried on Wednesday.

The circumstance surrounding his death has continued to spark controversies on social media.

The Lagos state police command recently commenced an investigation into Mohbad’s death while thousands of people have called for the ban of Marlian Music, the music label owned by Naira Marley.

Ojo earlier said she would stage a peaceful protest in Lagos to demand justice over the death of Mohbad.