Twenty months after singer David “Davido” Adeleke filed a suit at the Lagos State High Court, Yaba, seeking custody of his daughter, Imade, from her mother, Sophia Momodu, he has withdrawn the case.
In June 2024, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the “Unavailable” hitmaker approached the court seeking joint custody of his first daughter, Imade, whom he welcomed with Sophia Momodu in May 2015.
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He also asked the court to grant him unrestricted access to the child.
Since the suit was filed, the matter had remained before the court. However, on Thursday, the singer reportedly lost his composure during cross-examination after a provocation in the courtroom.
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Reacting to the proceedings, the “Timeless” crooner took to his X page on Friday, where he issued a worded statement directed at a lawyer identified as Ebelechukwu Enedah, who was involved in the custody case.
The 33-year-old clarified that he never sought full custody of his daughter but only requested a joint custody arrangement.
He further stated that there was no victor in the legal dispute between him and Sophia.
He said, “I never asked for full custody. I asked for joint custody. Nobody won, nobody lost but Imade, so I don’t know why some people are celebrating. There’s nothing to celebrate. I’ve decided to drop the case because, when I was spanking that lawyer in the courtroom, she would get so frustrated. After all, usually, I finish school.
“I was finishing her until she brought out her last card! My deceased son, that’s a no-no—lowest blow. My daughter will grow up knowing I fought for her. Let’s move on. One love.”
Enter lawyer
Speaking about what transpired between him and the lawyer representing Sophia in court, the Osun-born singer explained that the counsel mentioned the name of his late son, Ifeanyi, who died in October 2022.
He said he rebuked the lawyer during the proceedings and accused the legal practitioner of acting unprofessionally and incompetently.
“I disgraced you in the courtroom. I was teaching you your work; you couldn’t even take it, and then you went on to mention my son, as I said in the courtroom.
“I pray you never go through what my wife and I have gone through ever, and you were still smiling, smirking. You are a wicked human being. You’re the worst lawyer ever. I beat you in court, you’re not learned,” Davido wrote.
Backstory
The legal dispute over Imade’s custody followed a series of public and private disagreements between her parents.
This newspaper reported that Sophia hinted on Snapchat that she might change her daughter’s surname to Momodu, noting that she played the role of both mother and father in Imade’s life.
She remarked on the backdrop of an earlier grievance she expressed in 2021, when she said she felt hurt that Imade had taken Davido’s surname rather than hers.
But the Grammy-nominated singer, on his part, alleged that Sophia rejected a N200 million apartment he purchased in 2021 within a gated estate in Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos.
According to him, the property came with amenities such as a swimming pool and uninterrupted power and water supply, and was intended to ensure Imade’s proper care and comfort.
Davido further stated that he bought a Range Rover Sport Utility Vehicle for the use of Imade and her mother to cater for their transportation needs, including conveying the child to and from school.
He also claimed that in 2023, Imade’s school alerted him that she had been absent for two weeks.
When he contacted Sophia for clarification, she reportedly explained that the Range Rover SUV had developed a fault.
However, he maintained that she only communicated this explanation after the school had already reached out to him.
The singer alleged that, despite his repeated efforts to provide a stable and comfortable life for their daughter, Sophia continued to treat him with unwarranted hostility, actions he said caused him considerable emotional distress.
