Sophia Momodu, the mother of Davido’s daughter, asked a Lagos State High Court in Sabo, Yaba, not to give child custody to the musician.
On Friday, Sophia told the court that Davido is not suitable to take care of their daughter. She said he is often not there and cannot properly care for her.
She stated this in a counter-affidavit responding to Davido’s request for custody.
According to Sophia, Davido did not show genuine love or commitment to their daughter during their relationship.
“He often demanded that I satisfy him sexually before he would visit our daughter or show any fatherly love to her.
“Davido mostly visits our daughter to boost his media image or promotions, not for genuine love.
“Whenever I refused his sexual demands, he would stop paying for her school fees and neglect her,” she explained.
Sophia revealed how Davido once expelled her and their daughter from his home in Atlanta during a summer holiday in 2017. They had to stay with a friend.
Sophia emphasized that she never stopped Davido from seeing his daughter. He chose to be an “absentee father.”
She added that she has been paying for her accommodation and that Davido had access to their daughter until he misused it by coming at odd hours for sex.
“When I saw Davido’s visits were more about seeking sexual favors than seeing our daughter, I told him to stop coming late at night. Our daughter needs to sleep as she has school in the morning.
“After I refused him entry into my house at night on the pretense of visiting our daughter, he stopped visiting or calling her. This has been his pattern throughout his relationship with our daughter.
“Whenever I rejected his advances, he would abandon our daughter, making her sad to force me to comply with his demands.
“I never stopped Davido or his family from visiting, calling, or reconnecting with our daughter,” she explained.
Sophia also stated that Davido has not been consistent in paying their daughter’s school fees. He skipped payments in 2021 and 2022, and the school contacted her in January 2023 about unpaid fees.
“The school emailed me saying our daughter couldn’t attend unless the fees from 2021 to 2023 were cleared,” she said.
She added that Davido’s father had to step in and pay the outstanding school fees.
Contrary to Davido’s claims, Sophia said she has been the one paying for their apartment, not Davido.
Sophia stated she has been providing the best care for their daughter despite Davido’s neglect and will keep doing so as a loving mother.
At Friday’s hearing before Justice A. J. Bashua, Sophia’s lawyer, Chief Anthony Idigbe, SAN, of Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors, pointed out that Davido’s legal team published a hearing notice in a national newspaper that mentioned their daughter’s name multiple times.
The judge agreed and said the child’s name should not be mentioned.
The judge then asked all press members, litigants, and other counsel not involved in the case to leave the courtroom.
Before they left, Chief Idigbe referenced Section 143 of the Child’s Rights Law of Lagos State 2015.
It states that only court members, parties to the case, their lawyers, parents, guardians, and directly concerned persons should attend court in cases involving a minor.
Chief Idigbe also mentioned Section 144, which prohibits publishing a child’s name, address, school, photo, or anything that can identify the child unless required by law.
He referred to Section 145, which states court proceedings must be in the child’s best interest, allowing the child to participate and express themselves.
Sophia also criticized the publicizing of the suit in a national newspaper.
“Davido’s publication of this suit has put our daughter in danger.
“I will need extra security measures to ensure our daughter’s safety at school,” she stated.
At the end of the hearing, it was decided that the case could be settled through the Alternative Dispute Resolution section during Settlement Week.