International award-winning singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has taken legal action against Sophia Momodu, the mother of his first child, Imade, seeking custody of their daughter.
In an originating motion filed by his lawyers, Dr. Olaniyi Arije and Okey Barrah, at the Lagos State High Court on April 17, 2024, Davido requested “an order granting joint custody of Miss Imade Adeleke to the applicant.” Alternatively, he prayed for “an order granting to the applicant unfettered and unrestricted access to Miss Imade.”
The suit, marked LD/1587PMC/2024, names Mr. David Adedeji Adeleke as the applicant and Ms. Sophia Momodu as the respondent.
In a 44-paragraph affidavit deposed by Davido, he explained that despite their past relationship, which ended several years ago, he has consistently supported their daughter. “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,” he stated.
Davido further elaborated on his financial support, saying, “I have also been providing money for the rent of the apartment where the respondent resides with our daughter.”
Davido revealed that he purchased a N200 million apartment in a gated community in Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos, offering it to Momodu and their daughter. However, he claimed she rejected the offer and instead demanded that he continue paying N5 million annually for a rented facility.
To ensure Imade’s welfare, Davido also provided a Range Rover Sport Utility Vehicle and, later, a Highlander SUV along with N5.8 million for repairs. Despite these efforts, he said Momodu continued to make “outlandish and Utopian demands to frustrate me.”
Among these demands, Davido claimed, was that he should pay the nanny she hired $800 per month, totaling $19,600 annually. Despite his contributions, Davido alleged that Momodu has shown him “unwarranted cruelty, inflicting so much pain on me.”
Davido and Sophia have had a tumultuous relationship. In 2021, Sophia expressed her distress when their daughter, Imade, took Davido’s last name instead of hers. “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,” she wrote on Instagram, adding that her mother eventually persuaded her that bearing Davido’s name would benefit Imade.
The court’s decision on Davido’s custody request is awaited as the legal proceedings continue.
