Child custody war: silent cries of celebrities

Beyond the fame, glitz, and glamour parade the screens, many celebrities face deeply personal battles, including struggles over child custody.

These celebrities, known for their talent and charisma, have also shared their heart-wrenching side of legal disputes and emotional turmoil in the pursuit of parenting rights.

Despite the wealth and frenzy surrounding their lives, some of them go to bed at night with heavy hearts, knowing that their parental rights are being contested.

R took a closer look at some Nigerian celebrities who have bravely opened up about their experiences with child custody battles.

Nigerian singer Davido recently made headlines because of his ongoing child custody dispute with the mother of his first child, Sophia Momodu. He has been fighting for joint custody of his daughter, Imade, stressing that he has fulfilled his fatherly responsibilities over the years.

Sophia alleged that the singer has refrained from fulfilling his financial obligations to his daughter, leaving her to shoulder expenses including rent, living and travel costs, healthcare, and all other related expenses.

Following their court appearance on July 5, 2024, Davido addressed the custody battle in an emotional series of posts on Instagram and told Sophia that she could keep Imade; however, the case is still in court.

Similarly, Big Brother Naija star Queen Mercy Atang has been embroiled in a custody dispute with the father of her child, Lord Lamba. A petition dated February 16, 2024, circulated online at the beginning of March.

The petition was addressed to the Family Court of Lagos State in Ikeja, and in it, Lord Lamba requested full custody of their daughter on claims that he was denied access to Keilah despite consistently paying child support.

However, on May 23, 2024, a magistrate court in Lagos adjourned the child custody proceedings between Queen Mercy and Lord Lamba to July 18, 2024, due to Lord Lamba’s absence at court that day.

Nigerian comedian Buchi was also open about his custody battle with his former in-laws in November 2023. In a series of Instagram posts, he repeatedly called out his ex-wife, Rukky’s parents, for allegedly denying him access to see his children, who were in their custody in the United States of America.

He added that he could only speak to his children when his estranged in-laws placed the calls. Buchi also alleged that he was blocked after each call to prevent him from calling back.

He claimed that they asked him to pay $300,000 a month in child support, money that he said was paid, but in return, he still didn’t get access to his children. The following month, he happily announced that he had been granted access to his children.

Popular media personality Oladotun Kayode, fondly known as Do2dtun, has also been caught in the web of a messy child custody battle. In October 2023, he alleged that his ex-wife, Taiwo, refused to grant him access to their daughters, even though they had agreed on a joint custody arrangement.

He stressed that he would fight back against her and her brother, Dbanj. Taking to his Instagram page, he dragged the singer again, claiming that he aided Taiwo in keeping their children from him. In response, Taiwo posted to her Instagram, attesting that the OAP was lying, knew where his children were, and had access to them.

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