Davido and 4 other Nigerian celebrities who had custody issues with their children

Known for their talent and charisma, these celebrities have also shared their heartbreaking side of the legal battles and emotional turmoil in the custody battle.

Here’s a closer look at five Nigerian celebrities who have bravely spoken about their experiences with custody battles.

1. David

Nigerian singer Davido recently made headlines because of his ongoing custody battle with the mother of his first child. Sophia MomoduHe is fighting for joint custody of his daughter Imade and stresses that he has fulfilled his fatherly duties over the years.

Sophia claimed that the singer had failed to meet his financial obligations to his daughter, leaving her to cover the costs such as rent, living and travel expenses, healthcare and all other related expenses.

Following their court date on July 5, 2024, Davido addressed the custody battle in an emotional series of posts on Instagram, telling Sophia that she could keep Imade, but the case was still before court.

2. Queen Mercy Atang

Big Brother Naija Star Queen Mercy and the father of her child, Mr Lambaalso got involved in a custody battle that ended up in court.

At the beginning of March, a petition dated February 16, 2024, circulated online. The petition was addressed to the Lagos State Family Court in Ikeja. In it, Lord Lamba requested sole custody of their daughter because he had been denied access to Keilah despite regularly paying child support.

However, on May 23, 2024, a Magistrate Court in Lagos adjourned the custody proceedings between Queen Mercy and Lord Lamba to July 18, 2024, as Lord Lamba failed to appear in court on that day.

3. Holes Comedian

Nigerian comedian Buchi also spoke openly about his custody battle with his former in-laws in November 2023. In a series of Instagram posts, he repeatedly accused his ex-wife, Rukky's parents, of allegedly denying him access to his children who were in their care in the United States of America.

He added that he could only speak to his children when his estranged in-laws made the calls. Buchi had also claimed that he was blocked after each call to prevent him from calling back. He claimed that they had demanded that he pay $300,000 a month in child support, money that he said he paid, but in return he still did not get access to his children.

The following month, he happily announced that he had been granted visitation rights to his children.

4.Do2dtun

Popular media personality Oladotun Kayodeaffectionately known as Do2dtun, has also become caught up in a messy custody battle.

In October 2023, he claimed that his ex-wife Taiwo denied him access to their daughters despite the fact that they had agreed on joint custody. He then stressed that he would fight back against her and her brother Dbanj. On his Instagram page, he attacked the singer again, claiming that he helped Taiwo withhold her children from him.

In response, Taiwo posted on Instagram that the pensioner was lying, knew where his children were and had access to them.

5. Tonto Dikeh

In 2017, Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh was involved in a messy separation from her husband. Oladunni Churchilland he claimed that she had withheld her son from him.

In an Instagram post, Churchill stressed that he was trying to get “exclusive access” to her son. King AndreHe wrote, among other things: “Daddy is still trying hard to get exclusive access to you, but hopefully everything will be OK soon.”

In 2019, the court ruled in Tonto Dikeh's favor and awarded her sole custody of her son. However, in 2023, Churchill again challenged her to fight for custody of her child. He claimed that he had always tried to get back together with his son but Tonto had not given him the opportunity, but she denied his claims.