Davido Ends Daughter Custody Battle After Courtroom Tension

Afrobeats star Davido has withdrawn his custody case involving his daughter, Imade Adeleke, saying a moment during court proceedings triggered his decision.

The singer, whose real name is David Adeleke, announced in a series of posts on his X account on Friday that he had discontinued the suit at the Lagos High Court.

Davido said his original request was for joint custody and unrestricted access to his daughter, not full custody.

“I never asked for full custody … I asked for joint custody,” he wrote, adding that there was “nothing to celebrate” about the outcome of the recent court proceedings.

“Nobody won, nobody lost but Imade … so I don’t know why some pple r celebrating.. there’s nothing to celebrate.”

Davido and Sophia Momodu welcomed Imade on May 14, 2015. In 2024, the singer filed a motion marked LD/1587PMC/2024, seeking the court’s order granting him joint custody and unrestricted access to his daughter.

In the suit, Davido stated that he had consistently met his daughter’s financial needs. He wrote, “It is on record that I have been responsible for paying all the school fees for my daughter to provide her with the best education possible and to meet all her educational needs without a hitch. I have also been providing money for the rent of the apartment where the respondent resides with our daughter.”

The Grammy-nominated singer also claimed that Momodu rejected a N200 million apartment in a gated community in Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos, which he said he purchased for Imade’s care.

According to him, she instead asked that he continue to pay N5 million annually for a rented apartment. He also stated that he bought a Range Rover Sport utility vehicle for the use of the child and her mother to support transportation needs, including school runs.

Davido said, “The respondent rejected the offer to stay and live at the above-described secured Oniru apartment, which had already been purchased, but demanded that I continue to pay N5,000,000 annually for a rented facility as my contribution towards my daughter’s accommodation.

“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.”

Davido alleged that despite his efforts, Momodu treated him with unwarranted cruelty and caused him significant pain.

In her counter-affidavit, Momodu refuted the allegations. She stated that she and Davido were in a relationship from 2014 to 2017 and again from 2020 to 2022, during which he provided financial support for their daughter, including school fees, rent and vehicles.

She said she ended the relationship in July 2022 and alleged that “since then, David has repeatedly threatened to make Sophia’s life miserable if she does not make herself available to him sexually.”

“Sophia has never denied David access to their daughter, only access to her body and intimacy, which he has taken issue with. David is in a publicly known relationship, and Sophia wishes him well. She seeks to move forward in her life free from harassment and verbal abuse,” her filing stated.

On Friday, Davido explained that he chose to withdraw the case, saying the proceedings had taken a turn he found unacceptable.

He claimed that although he was confident in his legal arguments, the opposing counsel brought up a delicate subject involving his deceased son, Ifeanyi Adeleke, whom he had with his wife, Chioma Adeleke.

“I’ve decided to drop the case because when I was spanking that lawyer in the court room all .. she would get so frustrated .. because normally I finish school .. I was finishing her .. until she brought out her last card ! MY DECEASED SON ! THATS A NO NO ! Lowest blow!” he wrote.