I denied Davido access to my body, not to our daughter – Sophia Momodu reacts in custody battle

Davido's first baby mama, Sophia Momodu, has reacted to the suit the singer filed against her in the Lagos State High Court for the custody of their daughter, Imade.

PREMIUM TIMES had previously reported that Davido, through his lawyers, had asked the court to grant him joint custody of nine-year-old Imade, who was born in May 2015.

Davido’s lawyers Olaniyi Arije, Okey Barrah and others filed the suit on April 17, 2024.

In her response to Davido’s lawsuit through her legal representatives, Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors and Bimpe Ajegbomogun & Co, Mrs Momodu, a niece of famous journalist Dele Momodu, denied the allegations made against her by the singer.

Davido alleged, among other things, that Sophia, 37, had rejected a N200 million apartment in a gated community with a swimming pool and 24-hour electricity and water supply in Oniru on Victoria Island, Lagos, which he had bought for Imade's benefit.

The “Unavailable” singer claimed that Imade's mother asked him to pay the nanny she hired $800 a month, or $19,600 a year, as a lump sum.

He alleged that despite his efforts to provide a better life for her daughter, Ms Momodu continued to treat him with unjustified cruelty and caused him considerable pain.

However, in her response to Davido's lawsuit, Ms Momodu stated that she merely denied having been intimate with the music star.

This was announced on Saturday in a statement published in Pulse by her legal representatives Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors and Bimpe Ajegbomogun & Co.

It states, among other things: “David Adeleke and Sophia Momodu were in a relationship from 2014-2017 and 2020-2022. During this time, David supported their daughter financially and paid school fees, rent and other living expenses, including the cars mentioned in the article. Sophia ended the relationship with David in July 2022. Since then, David has repeatedly threatened to make Sophia's life difficult if she does not make herself sexually available to him.

“Sophia has never denied David access to her daughter, only access to her body and her intimacy, which he has objected to. David is in a public relationship and Sophia wishes him well. She wants to move forward in her life without harassment and verbal abuse.”

The 37-year-old businessman claimed that Davido had abandoned Imade for over two years.

accusations

Ms Momodu further claimed that the 31-year-old singer had chosen not to see their daughter or celebrate special occasions.

“David has not seen our daughter of his own accord since July 2022. Sophia has never denied him the opportunity to see his daughter. He has not contacted her on special occasions such as her birthday or Christmas for the past two years, leaving his daughter distressed and wondering why her father has cut off contact with her. Despite this, David posts pictures of her on social media to falsely portray himself as a supportive and active father.”

Furthermore, the statement claims that Sophia has been solely responsible for all expenses, including rent, living and travel expenses, healthcare and all other expenses related to her daughter, for the past two years.

“Since July 2022, David has failed to meet his financial obligations to her daughter and has not paid her school fees. Her daughter's school has contacted him several times about school fees for the 2021/2022 academic year and January 2023 without receiving a response. Legal assistance was sought in February 2023 after which David's father, Mr. Adedeji Adeleke, finally paid the outstanding fees. Despite this neglect, Sophia insists that the most important support David can offer her daughter is his presence and emotional support,” the statement read.

The businesswoman said she took legal action two years ago to reach a formal co-parenting agreement with Davido, but she said Davido and his legal team consistently refused to cooperate in working out a mutually acceptable solution.

Instead, she claimed they tried to discredit and isolate Sophia and her daughter by exploiting David's social influence and network.