I Was Mocked After Having Child Out of Wedlock — Sophia Momodu

Entrepreneur Sophia Momodu has opened up about the ridicule and social stigma she says she experienced after becoming pregnant outside marriage, saying her background as a pastor’s daughter made the experience particularly difficult.

Momodu spoke during a side panel on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, in a video she shared on her Instagram Story on Tuesday.

Recounting her experience, Momodu said she faced intense public scrutiny after becoming pregnant by music star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido.

“This is my life story. I am a pastor’s daughter who got pregnant out of wedlock by a global superstar. And I was mocked. It was crazy. And I had to find my strength in the midst of all of that,” she said.

Momodu said that despite being well known, she struggled to have her own voice amid the negativity surrounding her story.

“For the longest time, I didn’t have a voice. I was famous, I was popular, but I didn’t have a voice. It kept getting drowned out by whatever negativity was around that story,” she said.

She said the stigma was particularly pronounced because of her Nigerian background and her family’s religious standing.

“If you’re Nigerian and you’re here, you know that it’s almost a taboo to be a pastor’s daughter and have a child out of wedlock,” she added.

According to Momodu, she eventually became more comfortable speaking publicly about her experience and discovered that other women had faced similar situations.

She recalled that an aunt once contacted her after allegedly being approached by someone who wanted her to remain silent about the matter.

Momodu said sharing her story at different forums, including in South Africa, helped her realise that she was not alone, as several women subsequently approached her with similar experiences.

She expressed gratitude for having a platform to tell her story and said the support of other women had encouraged her to continue speaking about her experiences.

Momodu and Davido welcomed their daughter, Imade Adeleke, on May 14, 2015. Contemporary reports and Davido’s own account at the time stated that DNA testing subsequently confirmed him as Imade’s biological father.

The former couple were never married and have since been involved in a long-running dispute over the care and custody of their daughter. Davido filed a custody case at the Lagos State High Court in 2024, while more recent reports indicate that discussions have continued around the family dispute.