Happy New Year AML People. I wish you great tidings and success this 2016.
I was not anticipating a return to this blog now (I work hard and need rest jare) and despite a couple of more posts I will share, I am still officially on vacation from the blog and will remain so, until I am ready to return during the later part of this month. However, there are some stories that won’t go away and of which some of you have pushed for my views. Let’s start with Davido’s case.
The Dispute: Davido, one of Nigeria’s most popular contemporary artist has been involved, since New Year’s eve, in what is and will probably be one of the most contentious custody battle with Sophia (“Sophie”) Momodu, the mother of his child Imade. There are several things I do not like about this case and why I am filing it under AML’s ‘Celebrities Behaving Badly’ category. They are:
a) All parties (Dele Momodu, Sophie Momodu and Davido) have been slinging mud in the streets of the internet and social media instead of the courtroom.
b) Davido clearly has no regard for his daughter with the way he insults the mother of his child. He treats Sophie Momodu, publicly, as some depository sperm bank. Of course we now know she had the audacity to get pregnant even though he had unprotected sex with her. The insults have flooded the internet from day one against this woman. I believe this is wrong and unacceptable for the sake of the child. So much so that I reached out to Davido to encourage him to resolve this amicably and privately. This is the woman you slept with and the mother of your child. It is what it is. Deal with it.
c) Davido has a terrible team (legal advisors, public relations specialist and family members) advising him on how to handle this crisis. This is not how you handle a crisis involving an alleged neglect or abuse by a parent. The child’s safety is the number one priority. Everything else is inconsequential. Davido needs to switch up on his current team, and also stand on his own as a human being, first, and then a man and stop letting whomever is writing on his behalf send statements that don’t fully capture who Davido is and what he wants to happen. I believe Davido is a good man. I believe he is a responsible man. His actions have been consistent over time and no one on both camps have denied it with their rendition of the facts. I believe he is being fed nonsense on persons preying on his emotions and he is translating it in public in a very bad way, mostly via those who purport to know what he wants and are managing his social media accounts for him. I also believe he is being manipulated on both sides i.e. by his family The Adelekes and the Momodus.
d) I am not crazy about how Dele Momodu has handled the publicity aspect of this case either. In fact, as a media/legal and publicity consultant, I can unequivocally say this is an epic fail. Dele Momodu taking Davido’s pictures at the airport and perambulating it on social media was unnecessary and disturbing. Dele Momodu releasing the taping of the dialogue at the airport online was unnecessary. That evidence can be used in a court of law. He started this publicity mess. I do think, however, Momodu has a right to fight for his cousin and to do so armed with the right facts and in the right way. Finally, having lived and immersed myself in Yoruba culture, I know among fellow Yoruba people, they pride themselves on having a culture of respect, so much so that men prostrate when greeting elders and women kneel. Therefore, under that culture and structure, the insults hurled by Davido against Dele Momodu is simply inappropriate and out of line; despite the actions of Momodu and especially since Momodu will most likely play a role in the life of the child from the look of things.
e) I am highly disappointed with the way this case is being tried in the court of public opinion and continued insults Davido has rained and continues to let members of his team acting through him rain on the mother of his child, Sophie. Even if Sophie has a substance abuse problem, as a society, and especially for those who claim to be educated, there must be a better way of dealing with those with substance abuse problems. Shaming, name calling, abusing her economic background, her educational status and all sort of nonsense that are entirely irrelevant to the matter at hand is off limits. I don’t believe the formal statements coming from Davido is in fact Davido’s, especially as one who also proudly claims to be an American citizen. As Americans, we rehabilitate or at least attempt to rehabilitate those with substance abuse problems. I do see the abuse coming from his family or his representatives who are so caught up in the fact that he is a billionaire’s son, not Davido. Newsflash to the team, billionaire is irrelevant in this equation. It is the best interest of the child that matters. All formal statements so far released by Davido have explicit and implicit coded legal language. Someone else clearly writes his statements.
f) Overall, it is time to pack it in on this drama, take it in-house and into a courtroom. If the child’s needs are that important as is claimed, then Davido cannot afford to be an immature parent and it is time to man up. Man up means you follow your heart, use your head and keep family and everyone else imposing their standards out of the equation. Do what you know is right for your daughter in your heart. Davido needs to hire a Family Law attorney in Nigeria who specialized in Child Dependency cases. Unfortunately I do not know of any in the Nigerian Enterainment Lawyers Group otherwise I would make a referral.
However, Davido needs to ask around, get a really good one, file the appropriate emergency protective order petition, since the child is still with Sophie Momodu, and if the court agrees that Sophie is a danger to Imade, then the court can award temporary custody of Imade to Davido. At that point, Davido no longer needs permission from anyone; or the alleged involvement of his sister allegedly lying to authorities that she is the mother of his child, to travel with his daughter. He can travel with Imade to the Dubai Hospital ASAP for care, assuming a Nigerian hospital cannot give Imade the care she needs, or he would rather just take his daughter out of the stressful environment.
The way the families have handled this case is just highly embarrassing, disappointing and indeed I have such empathy for the one person who stays suffering from all the bickering, manipulation and immaturity displayed by the adults around her, Imade.
I have created a chart of how a typical Child Dependency System works in the USA. It is based on my personal experience as a lawyer who handled at least almost 100 of these kinds of cases in the past, and one who also understands and has dealt with crisis management in parallel situations like these. Nigeria has a parallel child dependency system and Davido talks about the agency in his statement. I have also shared the alleged facts by all parties to date so you all know exactly what is going on. I didn’t bother including all the insults that have been traded since December 30, 2015. They are a waste of space on this blog and not germane to the matter at hand, Imade.
To the Adelekes (Father, Sister and the rest of the Davido family), Dele Momodu (who I have interviewed in the past during his political aspirations as President), and Sophie Momodu, please take this drama offline and handle it in-house. Yes you can. You are putting a seven months old child in a situation where she has to choose who loves her the most, and worse, encouraging the public to do the same. The central question here is what is in the best interest of Imade? If you all can’t comport yourselves and work together for the best interest of Imade, then do take it to a courtroom so a Judge will make a decision with one thing and only one thing in mind, what is in the best interest of the child?
At this point, Lagos state Child Welfare Agency, given all the statements published on both sides, should take the initiative to step in and issue an emergency protective order, take Imade into its custody and file a petition to get this case going through the court system there. At this point, that agency has a legal duty under Nigeria’s child welfare codes to do so. It is their job.
-Ms. Uduak
___________________
I. MOTHER SOPHIE MOMODU’S RENDITION OF THE FACTS VIA LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES, PUBLISHED DECEMBER 30, 2015.
SOPHIE MOMODU’S ALLEGATION OF ABDUCTION
December 30, 201(5)
The Director General
National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons
No. 2028 Delaba Street
Wuse Zone 5
FCT, Abuja
Dear Madam,
PETITION AGAINST MISS ASHLEY COCO ADELEKE & MR ADEDEJI ADELEKE FOR ATTEMPTED CHILD TRAFFICKING AND ABDUCTION OF MISS AURORA IMADE ADELEKE
We act as Solicitors for Miss. Sophia Ajibola Momodu, (hereinafter referred to as our client) whose instructions we have to forward this petition to your esteemed Agency.
Our client, a 27 year old, is the biological mother of a baby girl with name, Aurora Imade Adeleke, who was born on the 14th day of May 2015. The baby’s father is Mr. David Adedeji Adeleke (aka Davido). The father and mother are unmarried.
On the 11th July, 2015, our client was tricked to visit the house of Mr. David Adedeji Adeleke’s half sister – Miss Ashley Coco Adeleke’s with her baby, Imade Aurora Adeleke. After getting to the house on Baderinwa Alabi Street, Lekki Phase I, Lagos, our client’s baby was forcefully taken from her and she was thrown out of the premises with the threat that she would be decisively dealt with if she ever bothered to return there. There were armed policemen in the premises and our client’s survival instinct prevailed on her to make her leave her breast suckling baby behind, with so much pain in her heart.
By daybreak on the next day, our client was again at Ashley Coco Adeleke’s house to take her baby, but she was prevented by armed policemen from gaining access into the house. She was again threatened and warned never to return for the child.
Since July 2015, our client, who has now become so disorientated, saddened and confused has been going to family members, including her cousin, Mr Dele Momodu, and other well meaning Nigerians to intervene and allow her get her baby back or at least allow her to be able to have access to and care for her daughter. This was frustrated by Coco Adeleke, David Adeleke and their father, Mr. Adedeji Adeleke. These people boasted to our client and all her family and friends that our client is a nonentity and of little substance in Nigeria. They also claim that they have the financial wherewithal and political and security clout to deal with her and her family anyhow and without any consequence with the aid of their brother and uncle, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, and other friends Mr Deji Adeleke purportedly has in government. In a bid to justify their actions, Mr Deji Adeleke and his daughter, Ashley Coco Adeleke, have been spreading several malicious and unfounded allegations about our client.
While the attempts at finding a peaceful and lasting solution were still ongoing, on Tuesday the 29th December 2015, Ashley Coco Adeleke and her father, Mr Deji Adeleke, tried to travel to Dubai with our client’s baby. The baby was meant to be flown out of the country with Nigerian and American passports. Prior to that date, our client and her cousin, Mr Dele Momodu, had gone to alert the immigration services at the Murtala Mohammed, Ikeja International airport of the likelihood of Ashley Coco Adeleke travelling with our client’s baby by pretending to be the Mother. Our client believes that her baby’s American passport was hidden and is now likely to be in possession of Mr Deji Adeleke or Ashley Coco Adeleke. It appears that the assistance of Emirates Airline was sought as the baby’s American passport was not produced in breach of aviation regulations. Neither was a letter of authority from the mother to confirm her consent to the trip produced despite the airline being alerted.
When Mrs. Modupe Mofikoya, the immigration officer who attended to the Adeleke travelling party accosted Ashley Coco Adeleke and asked for the mother of the baby, Ashley Adeleke claimed that she was the mother. Immediately, the immigration officer on duty collected her Nigerian international passport, she quickly absconded from the scene with the baby and her father, Mr Deji Adeleke, showed up shortly afterwards to try to clear his daughter’s mess.
Our client with the help of her family members, including Mr Dele Momodu, determinedly resisted the attempt by Miss Ashley Coco Adeleke and her father, Mr Deji Adeleke, from taking Aurora Imade Adeleke from Lagos yesterday. Our client believes that the pair are trying to take the child to America and thus put her out of the reach of the biological mother.
At the moment, Miss Ashley Coco Adeleke and our client’s daughter, Aurora Imade Adeleke are still in Lagos and two of their respective international passports are in the custody of the airport immigration services. Our client’s fear now, is that Ashley Coco may use her Nigerian passport and Aurora Imade’s American passport to travel through other Nigerian or West African airports.
We know that the actions of Mr Deji Adeleke and Miss Ashley Coco Adeleke contravene many provisions of the law. One is Section 13 of the Childs Right Law 2007 of Lagos State (as adapted from the Federal Act), which guarantees Aurora Imade Adeleke’s right to parental care and protection. That law also forbids separation of a child from her parents. Another is Section 24 of the same law, which also prohibits abduction of a child from the lawful custody of her parents. Neither Mr Deji Adeleke or Ms Ashley Coco Adeleke has any lawful right to the custody of Aurora Imade Adeleke. Even the unmarried father, Mr David Adedeji Adeleke, only has limited rights to the child and certainly not to the exclusion of our client, the natural mother as the Adeleke’s are trying to do.
We are of the sound view that your Agency is the most viable organisation that can intervene in the plight of our client and save her from the untold trauma that she is going through in the hands of Mr Deji Adeleke and Ashley Coco Adeleke, who has her own child that she keeps with her. We have advised our client about the statutory powers of your Agency to potently investigate and enforce all the provisions of the law that deal with abduction and trafficking in persons.
We urge you to use your good offices to intervene in the case of our client and protect a baby who should still be under her mother’s care from being abducted and smuggled abroad.
We thank you.
Yours faithfully,
O. AJAYI & CO./Gbolaga Ajayi Esq.
II. COUSIN DELE MOMODU’S RENDITION OF THE FACTS, PUBLISHED DECEMBER 31ST, 2015, ON INSTAGRAM.
In september 2015, I got a call from Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, a long time friend, telling me his son had fathered a baby girl with my cousin, Sophia Momodu. I rejoiced with him as any reasonable soul will do. He apologised that he had not called all along because he wasn’t sure if Sophie’s baby was going to turn out a fake one like that of two others who had turned up at his doorstep.
But mercifully, according to Dr. Adeleke, Sophie’s baby passed the DNA test by over 98 per cent and he was elated. I congratulated him again as proud grandfather. He said he would like to meet me with Sophie since Sophie’s dad, Uncle Jibola Momodu, passed on years ago and Sophie mentioned me as her cousin.
I had known about Sophie’s baby through her first cousin Ruth Abraham and had called to congratulate her. I was happy when she sent me pictures of the baby and other romantic pictures with David Adeleke, aka Davido.
But I never contacted David’s dad deliberately so as not to create the impression of begging for marriage. Where we come from, it is the man who approaches the lady’s family to plead to be allowed to marry into the family.
Prior to this phone call from Dr. Adeleke, on the 11th July, 2015, Sophie had narrated to me how she was tricked to Coco Adeleke’s house with her baby, Imade Aurora Adeleke. After getting to the house on Baderinwa Alabi Street, Lekki Phase I, Lagos, her baby was forcefully taken from her and she was thrown out of the premises with the threat that she would be decisively dealt with if she even bothered to return there.
There were armed policemen in the premises and to avoid what could have been a messy encounter, instinct prevailed on her to make her leave her breast suckling baby behind, with so much pain in her heart. By daybreak on the next day, Sophie was again at Coco Adeleke’s house to take her baby, but she was prevented by armed policemen from gaining access into the house. She was again threatened and warned never to return for the child.
Despite the pain and trauma my cousin was made to undergo, I restrained myself from getting directly involved in the matter and appealed to her to stay calm and take it easy with the Adeleke’s.
But after the phone call from Dr. Adeleke, precisely on September 10, 2015, I picked up Sophie and her mum and drove to Dr. Adeleke’s home in Lekki, Lagos. All the while, I had waited patiently to meet Dr. Adeleke with questions probing for answers.
Dr. Adeleke invited two of his close friends to the meeting namely, His Majesty Oba Adedokun Abolarin and Mr. Wale Adeeyo. We went into lengthy discussions. His daughter Coco had brought in the little baby and both attended the meeting.
Dr. Adeleke explained why it took some time to call me and I said I understood. Dr. Adeleke said the baby was discovered to have traces of marijuana in her during medical test and said he believed Sophie and David were smokers and he needed to protect the child from two irresponsible parents, as he described them.
He told the gathering that the baby would be under temporary custody and observation. He directed that Sophie would come to his house every Sunday to see her baby. Our family agreed. He promised to pay Sophie a monthly upkeep. We thanked him for his kindness. He promised to buy her a car. We were grateful for his generosity.
Sophie said she got the monthly upkeep but never got the car and that she prefers to have her baby back and the Adelekes can keep their money.
I called Dr. Adeleke and he said I should allay her fears. I pleaded again for patience. I was shocked when Sophie called me desperately and said her daughter was being taken to Dubai by Coco. I immediately called Coco and she said she was taking the baby for intensive medicals and I wondered how she would pass through the airport without the consent of Sophie but she actually did and even sent me pictures from Dubai. I played it cool and encouraged Sophie to calm down.
Sophie became withdrawn and extremely saddened. The situation went from bad to worse. She and David became aggressive enemies. At a point, David sent messages to Sophie and using the ‘f’ word against me. His father was shocked and called him to apologise which he did and I accepted and even told him how much I love him.
The worst came when my wife came from London and went with Sophie to check on the baby at Coco’s house and they literally walked them out of their house. My wife called and I called Dr. Adeleke who said they should go to his house and wait for him.
Their meeting did not go well because my wife asked when the baby would be returned to her mum and Dr. Adeleke went into the same old story of marijuana abuse and Sophie said she was ready for a test which Dr. Adeleke wasn’t interested in. Dr. Adeleke explained why the car had not been bought and my wife told him the baby was the issue and not the car. Dr. Adeleke didn’t like the sound of this but it was reaching a point that some truth needed to be told that a baby cannot be bought with money.
I flew to Nigeria on December 28 after Sophie told me the Adelekes were travelling to Dubai with her baby without her consent again. As soon as I landed, I called Uncle Wale Adeeyo, a close confidant of Dr. Adeleke, and expressed our displeasure at the way Sophie was being treated and he promised to speak to Dr. Adeleke. When he came back to me he didn’t sound too positive. We spoke several times and nothing tangible came out of his supposed intervention.
I called Oba Dokun Abolarin but he was busy at a wedding in Ibadan. I then called Uncle Wale again and told him Sophie has plans to stop the trip on the knowledge that David has collected an American passport for the baby and the rumour that the baby was being abducted to America. I pleaded that we should avoid a confrontation.
I headed to the airport to alert the airport authorities including immigration and Emirates. As predicted, the Adelekes arrived the airport with the baby where Immigration had laid in wait for them. Coco came forward and was asked who the mother of the baby was and she claimed ownership and her passport and that of the baby were taken away by immigration.
Her dad was alerted and he came to the office of the Comptroller with others to try and rescue the passports but the Immigration stood their grounds. I saw him making frantic calls but he gave up after the flight departed.
He repeated the same boast that no one could ever take the baby from him and I told him to stop talking like God. No one likes a fight but we’ve been treated shabbily and had to stop the charade. We could not be intimidated and everyone at the airport expressed shock and horror at such a brazen attempt to export a human being only seven month old without the mother.
We thank the officers who rescued us from a powerful family. We are always for peace, justice and equity. No one threatened the Adelekes with any expose unless they are using reversed psychology.
Personally, I’m not a junk writer and would never descend so low to abuse those permanently connected to us through an innocent baby. We love the baby like they do.
Birth of Imade Adeleke
When the second trimester of Sophia’s pregnancy was closing, she tortuously announced to me that she was in the family way.
My mind was bemused, and so was my soul confused. But I quickly realized that nothing more could be done to alter my status as a father-to-be. I knew that i was not ready to be a dad. Still, I adjusted myself to the realities of my new situation and the consequences of my past personal indiscretions.
I made the determination that I was going to be a good dad. I also reasoned that my blunder is not enough pretext to make me a husband. I was just 21. And so I decided to be a responsible dad without being husband to the mother of my baby. I never was in love with Sophia neither was marriage ever in the offing.
Without knowing for sure that I was the real dad of the baby, I entrusted Sophia to the services of a private hospital for both pre-natal and post-natal medical cares. An apartment at Lekki was leased for 2 years, and paid for by me. The burden of medical bills, feeding, transportation and sundry costs rested on my person. No family member of Sophia including Uncle Dele Momodu rose to help nor guide Sophia.
I own my property at Lekki and had allowed Sophia to stay in the house because she claimed that she knew nobody in Lagos and that her father was deceased whilst her mother was resident in Abuja. For real, Sophia was a drifter without a dime, education nor career. My compassion, ignorance, naivety and poor judgment had combined to make me a victim to a much older lady with super cunning sense that was mixed with a vicious and diabolical nature. I stand accused but calmly accepted my responsibility for the sad misadventure that caused me to be a seat-mate with Sophia on a plane that was flying nowhere.
All along, I have only been generous with Sophia without knowing for sure I was the father to the baby she was carrying. On May 14, 2015, Sophia delivered her baby named Imade. It was after Sophia had delivered the baby that DNA testing medically confirmed that I was indeed the biological father of our child named Imade.
Once this status was obtained, Sophia started to apply maximum financial demands on me. I bought all the baby things and fully furnished her apartment. Sophia knew well how to spend money and yet contributed zero to the vast expenses that I incurred. None in her family contributed even a fake coin to the cost of having Imade.
Uncle Dele Momodu, now the pompous moralist, never visited Sophia nor even delivered an ordinary greeting card to Imade nor to her mum. Throughout the many months that Sophia stayed at my house when she claimed she has no family in Lagos, Uncle Dele Momodu and his bossy wife never showed up at my house to say hello to either of us.
When the going was good, Sophia had told me plenty things about her uncle Dele Momodu that I need not repeat here. And she never invited me to go with her to visit him and I don’t have the knowledge that she ever visited him throughout the time she stayed in my house. She always explained that a visit to Uncle Dele was needless and unnecessary. Uncle Dele Momodu never liked, and still does not like Sophia. He is now just grandstanding because Sophia had a baby for a fairly prominent family and famous Davido.
The case of Mrs Momodu baffles me even more. Why did she not think it necessary to move to Sophia’s apartment to help her out and show her the tricks of motherhood when Imade was newly born. Not once did she visit Sophia and her baby until December 2015. She gave neither care, love nor financial support to Sophia. Now, at 7 months old, and a child with special medical needs, Mrs Momodu rushed to the Lagos Airport to make an awful botch of her standing as a mother: Mrs Momodu certainly not a good person. She put time and energy to prevent my daughter and I, the real father of Imade, from travelling aboard to keep an appointment with the American Hospital, Dubai. At the point of dying in November, 2015 Imade had been rushed to this medical facility in Dubai, where she received helpful and adequate treatment, and was duly returned to Nigeria, without any side excursions.
What then suddenly propels the fear or dangerous love of Mr & Mrs Momodu for Sophia? I deeply sense this couple never loved Sophia nor her late father. They also resent her mum, and probably are jealous that Sophia ever became a mum herself, and thus, wish that Sophia’s daughter who is also my daughter, must needlessly perish.
Where is the inherent value in a callous human ploy that directly intends to prevent a child from receiving necessary medical care aboard once the biological father, David Adeleke, the child’s grandfather and all my siblings who are uncles and aunties to Imade are booked to fly on this essential medical trip to which we have attached a restful family vacation? Sophia ain’t a member of our family, period.
Surely, Sophia was not with Imade when she first visited Dubai, and yet Imade was promptly returned to Nigeria. And no one said Sophia cannot come to Dubai except that I declared that I don’t want the trip to seem like a spousal get-away. Sophia ain’t my wife and I refuse to let any action conspire to make us look like a couple. She seemed unable or unwilling to pay her way to Dubai. Also, her boastful Uncle, alas, refused to volunteer to pay her way to Dubai. I never suggested to an elder what he should take up as his personal responsibility if indeed he cared at all for Sophia as his robust involvement in our odd relationship wishes to establish. Mr Momodu never bought the ticket but wanted to enforce his cosine to join my family on this Dubai trip.
Dangerous lights are furiously blinking red around my daughter, Sophia and my person. Uncle Dele Momodu and his wife are providers of the energy espousing the idea of a needless death to my daughter. I now say it loud and clear, should my daughter die, this strange couple are mainly responsible. Mr Dele Momodu should just leave me and my family alone! His daughter is not who had a baby for me, and he has been too much of an absentee uncle to Sophia to have any traction on the moral authority that commands the soul and heart of this matter. Sophia Never formally introduced him nor his wife to me, at any time. Why are they now crowding my space and that of my daughter?
Custody, Lifestyle and Imade’s Loss of Wellness
In May, the same month Imade was born, Sophia settled in her fancy apartment for which I paid a hefty bill for a 2 year lease. Her baby was healthy. And she seemed happy. I would take care of all the financial needs of Imade and still pay Sophia a living allowance of 300,000 Naira plus utility bills.
Within a matter of weeks, Sophia was missing and lusting for the streets of Lagos, especially the glitzy night life. She often left Imade home for clubbing, binge drinking and a life of debauchery and deviant living. She would sleep all day and party all night. When awake, she was addicted to the telephone and cannabis. She paid the baby no attention at all and seemed to despise motherhood and parenting.
Imade was in her custody for 2 straight months, unchallenged and uninterrupted, until the baby took badly and severely ill in July. Imade cried, ceaselessly, for 48 hours. She was rushed to the hospital where her condition confounded medical experts. Several tests were conducted on her and later on the mother. Medical reports, herein attached (exhibit 1), proved that Sophia’s blood was polluted to the maximum level with cannabis and she had by the process of breast feeding infected her child with complicated medical conditions associated with the use of alcohol and especially cannabis. The trouble spot for Imade was her lungs. She had difficulty breathing largely because of the contaminated breast milk and the severity of the “Second Smoke” of marijuana inhaled by the poor child.
The medical experts at the hospital were enraged by the callous treatment of Imade by her own mother and declared her unfit for the caring and the nursing of a delicate baby. The team determined that they would hand over the baby to the Children’s Welfare Authority of Lagos State Government. My family started to plead with the hospital management. For the first time, Sophia too was sober, sorry and contrite. We pleaded that the baby would be kept from the mother once she was returned to us, and that we would take over responsibilities for Imade’s welfare.
Voluntarily, Sophia, in the attempt to avoid the handing over of the baby to the children welfare authority, agreed to a compromise position that she would transfer Imade to the Adeleke family until the cannabis in the systems of both mum and daughter was completely out and comprehensively cleaned out. The medical expert also indicated that the full damage to Imade’s person could not be ascertained right away and that her mental state now or in d future could not be determined nor predicted until perhaps when she would have attained adulthood. This was why and how Imade was transferred to the custody of the Adeleke family.
Soonest, Sophia began to make vigorous demands for the brand new car promised to her by me in May. My father stood out of all this matter and pointedly told me that although I was very young but I was already making big income and therefore must learn to be a responsible adult who takes care of business properly and accordingly. He had instructed since May, that i should provide the mother of my baby with a car, without delay.
But I have since had a change of mind on this issue because, of Sophia’s night crawling activities and reckless partying at night clubs. Her clubbing rendezvous escalated. In fact, she had gone to a club on Victoria Island and spent 250,000 Naira in one night. Unashamedly, she told the management of the club to slap “Davido” with the bill. I have refused to pay but till date, the club has never let off the harassment of my person for the settlement of this wild bill. I still don’t believe that my obstinacy will finally absorbed from the payment of this reckless charge. This was one of the main reason I put the purchase of the car on hold.
Meanwhile, Imade was increasingly worse off in wellness and she had to be flown to the American hospital in Dubai. I wrote a letter of release authorizing my sister to travel to Dubai with Imade. The hospital saved Imade who was returned to Nigeria with a medical equipment that had to be used daily to enable Imade to gain restful sleep and balanced respiratory rhythm. The photograph of this equipment is hereby attached.
If Imade had not gone to Dubai, it is fair to say that she may not be alive today. Still, some people prevented her from keeping a follow-up appointment at the American Hospital in Dubai. For the silliest possible reason. My family would not pay for Sophia’s flight ticket and thus Imade would be disallowed from traveling for the vital purpose of medical conditions that lend oxygen to her life. Which is more important to Mr Dele Momomdu, the ticket for his cousin or the overall wellness of Imade? And why can’t this glamorous uncle buy the ticket for Sophia so that the life of imade is not compromised?
The claim has been made that the aborted trip to Dubia was to take Imade to America. This is not true. Imade’s Nigerian passport is right now with the Immigration Office with no American Visa embossed on it and Imade, though qualified to possess an American Passport because her dad is an American citizen, still does not possess an American passport. True, her passport is being processed but the truancy of her mother has caused a major delay. I therefore ask, how will Imade have entered America without a visa on her Nigerian passport? The great dynamics of lying is that the liar is the first to know that he has told a lie, and the lies told would certainly demolish his integrity and the peace of his soul. Uncle Dele Momodu, beware!
So poor in understanding is the cerebral capacity of your cousin or niece that she cannot even operate the equipment that stabilizes her child’s lungs despite rigorous training offered to her (Exhibit2). She is dismally inattentive. But she is a fabulous cannon fodder for all the frivolities of life. What more can I do for a woman who is not my wife? I am 23. I ain’t ready for marriage or even fatherhood. But I have accepted my responsibilities as my father raised me to understand life and deal with all its challenges.
The only reason why some of us are dancing naked in the market place today is because Sophia’s request to go to Dubai on my ticket was declined. She is demanding for her new car and a raise of her allowance to one million naira per month. The sole reason why she’s demanding for the custody of Imade is to justify the necessity for this delusional one million naira. A domestic matter that could have been quietly and sensibly settled has been tossed to the public domain with the brutal consequences to the most innocent actor in this drama, Imade.
From December 23-28, Sophia lived at my father’s Lekki residence in peace except for the first one hour when a medication was misapplied by her and Imade speedily vomited for a fearfully long time. Sophia did not know how to even bathe her own baby. She brought a friend to stay with her in a 3-bedroom flat with a resident professional nurse and nanny. Overall, her stay was joyful and in alignment with the thrills of the Christmas holiday season.
On December 29, less than 24hours of leaving my father’s house, Sophia was at the airport in the company of her uncle and his wife with malice aforethought and the aim to do maximum damage that would obstruct her child from traveling aboard to receive necessary and needful medical care. She was welcome to join us if she had bought her ticket or her uncle had funded her for the trip.
I offered to buy her a car and suggested a Toyota brand or Hyundai. She lost her cool and told me off. She wanted a fancy jeep and preferably, a Mercedes Benz Jeep. I laughed because she just wanted to be a Lagos Big Girl for nothing. She hardly can cope with the cheapest car much less the ruinous cost of maintaining a Mercedes Benz vehicle. In December she received 500,000 naira as her allowance without doing anything for Imade. Life is not a bed of roses. Neither have I ever promised Sophia a rose garden. Her spontaneous motions of delusions utterly baffle me!
On her twitter page, she claimed she has recovered Imade from captivity. But Imade never was in captivity. Sophia certainly knows where Imade is. And it is where she left her on December 28, at my father’s house. What is the lie about? Sophia also claimed that she hasn’t seen her daughter in 5 months This cannot be true. Sophie spent every Sunday with her baby at my father’s house since July 2015 when she voluntarily transferred Imade to the Adeleke family after the cannabis incidence. She and her daughter constantly appear on her face book and twitter pages throughout this period of 5 months. What manner of unreliable and lying person is Sophia? The picture of your reconciliation with Imade after “captivity” that you posted on your twitter page came directly from the photo shoot that you posed for at my father’s house during your Christmas stay. Why can’t you ever be affable with truth nor have a relationship with honour?
Uncle Dele Momodu was the first to bring this domestic matter online and onto the internet. Uncle Dele Momodu ran smack into the internet highway on December 30 with Video recordings that he dishonestly, immorally and unlawfully recorded at a government facility and office at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. Uncle, you are wrong and you are not doing the right thing. By doing a thing so unlawful over a domestic mater between a 23-yearold boy and your niece is a bothersome slight that proved your niece must have learnt her sleazy ways from your own accomplished slap-happy conduct.
Life is beautiful if we all live in simple ways and do not engage criminal gadgets to replace integrity and honour. Your worthless video recordings has achieved nothing but exposed your naivety and lack of decorum. Your recordings cannot alter the fact that I am “Davido” father of Imade and it cannot force me to be the husband of your cousin. In truth, I don’t know if you are uncle or cousin to Sophia. The word uncle has lost it esteem since the time that sleaze bucket took over our land. Still, Uncle Dele Momodu, it is immoral, unlawful and unethical to clandestinely record anyone, especially friends and family members. This scandalous act truly got you slaughtered and put a new slant on your person.
Late evening on December 30, I responded to your vicious internet publications that attacked me and my family. As you well know, my response was a slam dunk that hurt you badly and diminished your person. You perhaps deserved what you got. But my father’s counsel and the love I have for Imade prompted me to recall the arrow aimed at you. You see, my father raised me well, and I promptly complied with his advice. I thus deleted all references to the issue of December 29 at the Airport and apologized to you in particular along with all my fans. I showed you respect even if u had drunkenly provoked me.
Instead of reciprocating with love and elderly wisdom, you sustained your attack of me with even more venom and hatefulness. With all due respect for my dad, I am compelled to speak to your lies and your simulation of grand self-importance. I am 23 and you are almost 60. Your cousin has a baby for me. Rather than bring us together as a family, you wished for glowing embers to come out of cool cucumber. You know damn well how to grandstand. This is why you instructed your lawyers to put garbage on the internet in a matter that should be showcased in the court of law. Uncle, who offended you? Is it Davido, Sophia or Imade? It cannot be my late mum after whom I named Imade. Is it my gentle dad? Why have you engaged yourself in a bitter private vendetta with my family? Uncle, you will have your day in court. But you will soonest be forced to embrace the fact that the crowning glory of your puffing and pride rests in your stunning emptiness. Again, I dare you, publish the garbage in your vanity trunk or perish!.
I am 23 and a performing artiste that God immensely blessed and I have joyfully made good in the industry. I won’t do this forever, and I shall timely step aside in the nearest future. I have a degree and I am stashing my monies aside so that I can build a decent future for Imade plus my future wife and family. I believe as the bible says, “every good gift is from above”.
There is nothing better in life than to tell the truth and pray. May God ever stand by me and deliver to me my dreams and wishes. May He also deliver to your own children their dreams and desires. Uncle Dele Momodu, please, please leave me and my family alone even if it is clear, by God’s will, that you can’t do us a thing. As for me, this is the end of this conversation. May God lead both of us to the righteous path. I thank you very much, sir.”
Exhibits 1 &2