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The relationship between Nigerian singer Davido and Sophia Momodu, mother of their daughter Imade Adeleke, has been marked by numerous conflicts over the years.
According to reports, Davido has initiated legal proceedings against Sophia Momodu, the mother of his first child, to secure full custody of their daughter, Imade Adeleke. This comes a little over a week before his traditional wedding ceremony to his longtime partner, Chioma on the 25th of June. The case filed at the Lagos High Court on April 17, 2024, seeks to grant the music superstar “unfettered and unrestricted access” to nine-year-old Imade.
The motion, brought by Davido’s lawyers Olaniyi Arije and Okey Barrah, is documented under case number “LD/1587PMC/2024,” with Davido listed as the applicant and Sophia Momodu as the respondent. The lawsuit is supported by a 44-paragraph affidavit in which Davido details the history of their relationship and his consistent efforts to provide for their daughter.
The musician asserts that he has been solely responsible for Imade’s education, including covering all school fees and related expenses. He also claims to have financed her living expenses, nanny fees, healthcare, insurance, and international travel costs.
“It is on record that I have been responsible for the payment of all the school fees of my daughter to provide her with the best education possible and to meet all her educational needs without a hitch. I also made commitments to pay for living expenses, the fees of the nanny to our child, provide medical and health care, insurance, periodic international travel expenses and tickets.”
Davido also revealed that Momodu demanded a monthly payment of $800 for the nanny, amounting to $19,600 annually. Despite his financial contributions, Davido claims to have faced unwarranted cruelty and emotional distress from Momodu.
The lawsuit seeking child custody comes after a tumultuous history between Davido and Sophia Momodu. In January, Momodu threatened to sue the singer for alleged cyberbullying and harassment. The court’s decision on this high-profile custody battle is awaited with keen interest.
Davido and Sophia Momodu have been at loggerheads since 2016
In January 2016, when Imade was just seven months old, Sophia and her uncle, media mogul Dele Momodu, accused Davido and his family of attempting to kidnap Imade and take her to Dubai without her mother’s permission. The scandal drew significant media attention, but Imade was eventually reunited with her mother.
Davido responded by accusing Sophia of making excessive financial demands and neglecting Imade. In a social media post, he claimed Sophia prioritized Lagos nightlife over motherhood, alleging that her behaviour endangered Imade’s health due to second-hand marijuana smoke and contaminated breast milk.
After this incident, the two appeared to reconcile for a while. However, tensions resurfaced in 2020 when reports emerged that David had travelled to Ghana with Sophia. Davido clarified on Instagram that he had only given her and Imade a lift on his jet because he had an event to attend. He asked for the rumours to stop to avoid upsetting his fiancée, Chioma. Sophia responded that she had not asked for a lift.
In November 2022, Sophia faced backlash on social media for publishing Imade’s alleged birthday letter to her father, which included a tribute to her late brother, Ifeanyi.
By June 2023, Sophia claimed that Davido was not fulfilling his responsibilities toward Imade and considered changing her daughter’s last name, asserting she had been both mother and father to her. A month earlier, Sophia was criticized online for allegedly preventing Davido from seeing Imade due to unmet financial demands.
This tumultuous history underscores the ongoing custody battle, highlighting the complex and strained relationship between Davido and Sophia Momodu.
