Award-winning Nigerian musician, David Adeleke, widely recognized as Davido, has initiated legal proceedings against Sophia Momodu, the mother of his first child, Imade, in pursuit of custody of their daughter. In a legal document submitted by his lawyers, Dr. Olaniyi Arije, Okey Barrah, and others, at the Lagos State High Court, dated April 17, 2024, Davido is requesting the court for “an order granting joint custody of Miss Imade Adeleke to the applicant.”
The lawsuit, identified as LD/1587PMC/2024, features Mr. David Adedeji Adeleke as the applicant, with Ms. Sophia Momodu designated as the sole respondent. The legal document was supported by a 44-paragraph affidavit sworn by Davido himself. He recounted that even though he had a romantic relationship with Momodu that resulted in the birth of their child on May 14, 2015, the relationship terminated several years ago “as we decided to fulfill our responsibilities as the biological father and mother of our child.”
Davido stated, “That 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.
“That I have also been providing money for the rent of the apartment where the respondent resides with our daughter.”
The singer said that as a result of the love he had for Imade, he purchased and offered the mother a N200m worth apartment in a condominium gated community with a swimming pool and 24-hour power and water supply at Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos. An offer he claimed was turned down.
The vocalist expressed that due to his deep affection for Imade, he acquired and presented the mother with a N200 million luxury apartment in a gated community complete with a swimming pool, and round-the-clock power and water supply in Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos. However, he stated that the offer was declined.
He stated,“The respondent rejected the offer to stay and live at the above-described secured Oniru apartment, which had been purchased already, but demanded that I continue to pay N5,000,000 annually for a rented facility as my own contribution towards my daughter’s accommodation.”
Davido said to ensure that the interest of Imade was well-catered for, “I bought a Range Rover Sport Utility Vehicle for the use of the child and the respondent to meet the transport needs, including transportation of the child to and from school, etc.”
He mentioned that at one point last year, he was contacted by his daughter’s school regarding Imade’s two-week absence. When he questioned Momodu about the issue, “She started to provide explanations and expressed dissatisfaction with the Range Rover SUV’s state, yet she chose not to disclose this to me.”
, “She began to make excuses and complained that the Range Rover SUV was not in a good condition, however, she refused to inform me about that.”
He added, “That sequel to the information about the said condition of the vehicle, I provided another vehicle, Highlander SUV, and in addition, the sum of N5.8m as requested by her for the repair of the Range Rover SUV, making it two vehicles in the custody and use of the respondent and our daughter.”
According to Davido, in order to ensure the complete comprehensive care of their child, “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.”
“That notwithstanding my efforts in the overall interest of my daughter, the respondent has continued to make outlandish and Utopian demands to frustrate me,” the singer added.
Listing the other demands allegedly made by Momodu, he said, “The respondent, among others, is demanding that I should pay the nanny she hired the sum of $800 per month, and that the total sum of $19,600 per annum be paid as a lump sum.”
Davido claimed that despite his contribution towards ensuring a better life for their daughter, “the respondent has continued to show me unwarranted cruelty, inflicting so much pain on me.”
Davido and Sophia have frequently been in conflict. In 2021, Sophia expressed her distress when their daughter, Imade, adopted Davido’s surname instead of hers.
Momodu disclosed this through her Instagram Story in response to a post discussing the tradition of children carrying their mothers’ names. She tearfully recounted how her daughter could not bear her own last name, ‘Momodu’.
She shared, “I remember my mom and aunties laughing at me when I was crying because my daughter’s last name wasn’t going to be Momodu.
“I was genuinely distraught. I was even arguing and everything, that they put her father’s full name and not a single letter from mine.”
She further revealed that her mother made her understand that Imade should bear her father’s name so that she could gain from her father’s lineage and inheritance.
She additionally disclosed that her mother imparted to her the importance of Imade carrying her father’s name in order to benefit from her father’s lineage and inheritance. She remarked, “It made me shut up real quick, but I lowkey had so many questions.”
