Seun EMMANUEL
Adedeji Adeleke, father of Nigerian music star Davido, has opened up on how the family coordinated several DNA tests to determine whether 12-year-old Anuoluwapo is the singer’s daughter.
The paternity controversy involving Davido and the alleged daughter surfaced in mid-January.
In an Instagram post shared on January 15, Anuoluwapo alleged that she had been subjected to bullying and mockery over claims that Davido, whose real name is David Adeleke, is her father.
She said the situation had affected her mental health and subsequently demanded that the singer undergo a DNA test to confirm her paternity.
Reacting, however, Adeleke told newsmen that before the matter reached them, social media personality Kemi Olunloyo had alleged that the child might be B-Red’s, Davido’s cousin.
He said, “Because B-Red’s name is Adebayo, but his middle name is also David Adeleke, when the aunty of the little girl came, I said, ‘Look, this is what we are going to do.’
“You go and pick your own clinic of your choice, come to Lagos, I will make sure it is available, bring the little girl, and we will go to your clinic and do the test.
“But I said before we do that, I am going to arrange for another clinic in Lekki apart from the one we went to before, so that David and the little girl will do two more tests, and then I will arrange two clinics for my nephew Bayo to do two tests.
“So, the day you come, we are going to have four different tests. That’s why you must have heard we’ve done five DNA tests.”
According to Dr Adeleke, three of the tests were conducted for Davido, while two were for B-Red.
He recounted how the family first became aware of the child:
“I received a document in my mail, sent to me from Ibadan in 2014 via DHL, and in the package there were pictures of a little girl, pictures of David with the little girl, and a picture of the mother of the girl. In that mail, there was also a birth certificate of the child, and what caught my attention was that the record of the birth certificate stated the full name of the father as Adeleke David and the full name of the mother as Adeleke Ayoomide.
“How can she be Adeleke? That caught my attention. Also in that package was a letter from the grandmother of the girl, Anu, with her telephone number.”
The letter read: “Dear Sir, I know you and your family are in good health. I know the Lord has been good to you, and I do not expect otherwise, Sir. I am a widow with two daughters; I lost my husband 13 years ago and have singlehandedly cared for both of them with the help of God, but I was challenged. Early last year, my eldest daughter, Ayotomide, informed me that your son David Adeleke was responsible for her pregnancy.
“Their meeting occurred when your son came to Ibadan for a show. I sat with her as a mother to ask her who the father of the child was. She has confided in me so many times that your son is indeed the father of her child. She was put to bed on November 19 and gave birth to a baby girl.”
Adeleke described how he contacted the grandmother and arranged for the DNA tests:
“Immediately I saw this letter, even before I called David, I called this woman and said I had not spoken to my son yet, but I was going to speak to him. I suggested she give me her address in Ibadan; I would send my driver to come and see where she lived. I assured her that if this girl were my granddaughter, she would have no problem with me; I would welcome her into my family. She gave me her address, and I told her the hospital I use in Lekki is an Indian hospital, that’s where I do my check-ups and everything. I asked the hospital to arrange for a DNA test.”
He added that the test was conducted via saliva samples and analysed in South Africa:
“When the day came, my driver brought the mother of the child, the baby, and the grandmother. We all met at the hospital. David, I, and Lati went up first, and the doctor told us the procedure. It was not done by blood but from saliva collected and sealed, then sent to South Africa for analysis.
“When the result was ready, the mother, the grandmother, and I signed that both of us would be the ones to receive the result. When the result was ready, I called her, and we opened the test result together.”
