Davido and his baby mama, Sophie Momodu, are currently in a very messy drama over their daughter, Imade’s custody. A petition filed by Sophie against Davido’s sister, Ashely Coco Adeleke and his father, via her lawyers, accusing them of child abduction after they were stopped from taking Imade out of the country without her permission, went viral yesterday.

Read the petition, Davido’s subsequent reaction via a quite revealing letter on Twitter, and other details about the evolving public drama below:

December 30, 2016
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.

Davido’s reaction:

“In 2015 May, I became the father of a love-child. DNA testing determined with maximum proof that I indeed was the father of my daughter, delivered by a head-butting casual lover, Miss Sophia Momodu.

I met Sophia when I was barely 21 years old. She was many years older than me and was able to manipulate and exploit my youth, naivety and generosity.Sophia is the mother of my daughter, and no more ! She never would be my wife and she was never qualified for that status. Her background is very dissimilar from mine, and she has very paltry education and equally diminished physical attributes.
Cunningly, she moved into my house because she claimed she has no place to stay in Lagos and that her father is late and her mother is resident in Abuja.

I have accepted what providence brought my way including my own personal indiscretions. But I also have been burdened by the gave lapses in the character of Sophia and have thus suffered for my daughter who I love as much as my late mother, Imade.

As for the person of Sophia, I paid a two year rent for her apartment at Lekki and she receives a monthly allowance of 300,000 naira from me ever since Imade was born. This December, Sophia received 500,000 naira as her Allowance and Christmas bonus.

On a routine hospital check, my daughter was found to be infested with massive dosage of poisonous cannabis that she contracted from the breast feeding regime of her mother’s breast. We still don’t know how much Imade was damaged by this toxic feeding and medical tests and procedures continue to rise and bemuse me and my family members.
Already, Imade has special needs and has been treated at the American Hospital,Dubai with all medical costs and travel expenses drawn off my personal purse ever sine she was born.

On December 29, Imade was supposed to travel, once more, to Dubai for further medical care. A family vacation was attached to this medical trip. But our family plan was truncated by Sophia, her uncle, Dele Momodu in the company of his wife, and all these persons were the significant accessory to the Lagos Airport debacle.

It is this incidence of December 29 that made implicitly necessary to bring my family matter to the public domain. I agree, both parents have to give simultaneous approval to the travel plans of an infant. But I do not intend for Sophia to join me on this trip as if we are going away on a spousal honeymoon. It is also fair to allow her to come along if she could pay for the costs of her own trip.

Why must I bear medical expenses for my daughter as well as the travel cost of her mum, who is neither my wife nor a friend at all? By what authority or court documents was Dele Momodu enabled to stop my child who embarked on a medical trip that would improve her wellness. I David, the father of the child was already available to attend to the child’s care? Which Agency of government, as claimed by Dele Momodu and his wife, issued the authority to deny my sister, myself, my daughter and my dad on a rightful travel plan? And what has been the financial stake of Uncle Dele Momodu over my daughter, ever since she was born.

I rented an apartment for his niece who is not my wife and I duly pay monthly charges. What has uncle Dele Momodu done for my daughter or even his niece? Momodu family also wants me to buy a car for a woman who is not my wife and also an habitual and ceaseless night crawler who is unable and unwilling to mother or even bathe her own child?

I am 23 years old now. Sophia got me and appropriated me at 21. I have just unbridled my life from her diabolical and shameless stranglehold. She should find her own life and leave me alone. Her uncle too should help her to quit the streets and find her a career. I am not her meal ticket or ATM because she has a baby for me. I love Imade and would do everything to defend this innocent baby that is being abused by callous adults for extortion purposes.

As for me, I feel bad that my dad, who had boarded Emirates and was already issued a boarding pass but was forced to elect not to travel anymore because his daughter and granddaughter were prevented from travelling on December 29 by the Momodus. The passports of my daughter and sister were impounded for no just cause. The airline has refused to give a refund because my dad was already allocated a seat and boarding pass. Calmly, he lost over One and half million naira for his First class ticket. What is the loss to Uncle Dele Momodu in this matter ? But more precisely, what is his gain ? But o know who the real losers are.

Our lawyers are looking into the books and digging for legal recompense. The authority used by Uncle Dele Momodu is the callous enforcement of corrupt practices in the conduct of an ordinary domestic issue. Uncle Dele Momodu has boasted about possessing certain things he knows about me and my family. I dare him to publish or perish whatever he has in his pouch, globally!”

Dele Momodu promptly rose to the occasion and shared their family’s side of the story:

“In September 2015, I got a call from Dr Adedeji Adeleke, a long time family friend, telling me his son had fathered a baby girl with my cousin, Sophia Momodu. I rejoiced with him as any reasonable soul would 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 percent and he was elated. I congratulated him again as a 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, Sophie had narrated to me how on the 11th July, 2015, she was tricked to Davido’s sister, 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 ever 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 Adelekes.

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 through this time, 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. We had dinner with him and left. David was not present.

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 were literally walked out and told they were not welcome in her 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, 2015 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 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 have 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 months old without the mother. We thanked 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 were using reverse 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 and such an innocent child deserves to be protected by both families.”