According to the report from the Vanguard, Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation magazine, has offered his perspective on the ongoing custody dispute between his niece, Sophia Momodu, and Afrobeat singer David Adeleke, also known as Davido. The dispute centers on the custody of their 9-year-old daughter, Imade.

In a lengthy post on his X account on Saturday, Momodu expressed his surprise at Davido's recent affidavit seeking joint custody of their child. He highlighted that their previous discussions had primarily focused on Davido's wedding and efforts to reconnect with his daughter.

Momodu noted, "Last night, I received a distressing message from Mr. David Adeleke (aka Davido). He was obviously devastated by the counter-affidavit submitted in court, earlier in the day, in response to his affidavit seeking joint custody of his daughter with my niece Sophia Momodu."

He continued, "I had seen David’s affidavit about two weeks ago, and I was very surprised as David, and I had spoken on a video call days earlier, with him and Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, and he never told me he had any custody issues with my niece. So you can imagine my confusion to find out via social media and subsequently confirmed by my niece that he had filed an action in court seeking joint custody of their daughter."

During the video call, Momodu recounted that they were excited about Davido's forthcoming wedding. He mentioned, "Prior to this, David had told me he eventually spoke to their daughter, after a long lull of about two years. He was very happy and excited. So I thought everything was settled and he and Sophia would now have the opportunity of taking maximum care of their daughter."

Momodu also praised Davido's father, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, for his support, stating, "I had offered special thanks to David’s Dad, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, for his kindness and support for our daughter during the period of David’s absence."

Addressing the issue of joint custody, Momodu remarked, "To the best of my knowledge, there was never a problem of joint custody. The issues were: non-payment of school fees for several sessions; non-payment of accommodation and salaries of a nanny. There was no car dedicated to David’s daughter."

He continued, "On the issue of non-payment of school fees, David’s Dad cleared everything and also set up payments of future bills. He gave his granddaughter a car to take her to school. The remaining issue was on accommodation."

Momodu explained that although an offer for accommodation was made, it was declined by Sophia due to concerns about living with David's family members. He stated, "Since she’s not married to David, she can’t be comfortable living in a place swarming with David’s family members. Sophia’s request was that David should pay half of the accommodation while she would pay the other half. David said he could only contribute N5 million annually."

Expressing his concerns, Momodu said, "My opinion is that the absence of camaraderie between David and Sophia has caused this debacle. I have cautioned repeatedly that their daughter must not be allowed to suffer or be treated like a second-class child. David’s global status makes this imperative."

He also emphasized the importance of cooperation for the child's well-being, mentioning instances when Sophia had allowed David access to their daughter. "Sophia allowed David access to their daughter, provided she has her nanny around 24/7. The 9-year-old herself made this request and I believe this should be favorably considered and accepted," he noted.

Momodu concluded by advising both parties to engage in the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process, stating, "The court yesterday referred the case for possible settlement by the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) section of the court during Settlement Week, and I strongly advise that David (and Sophia) engage truly with the process as opposed to making harmful and irreversible statements on social media which not only violate the law but the interest of their child."

He stressed the need to protect their daughter and ensure a structured and sustainable manner for father and child to engage with each other. "The vitriolic rhetoric in the media should be avoided by all means, as this only further inflames what is already a traumatic experience for all parties involved, especially the child in question," Momodu urged.