By Gabriel Atumeyi
A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has on Thursday 18th February, 2021 ordered that Mr Ifedayo Olarinde aka Daddy Freeze should pay N5m for committing adultery with his lover, Benedicta Elechi, with whom he had a son in 2015.
According to the judgement, Daddy Freeze is to pay the N5m to Benedicta’s husband, Mr Paul Odekina.
The presiding Judge, Hon Justice Akpughunum, in the judgment which lasted more than 90 minutes, ruled that Benedicta’s husband proved his case of adultery against Daddy Freeze and Benedicta through photographic, documentary and electronic evidence and also by the admission of Benedicta Elechi herself. He referred to Benedicta as a ‘self-acclaimed adulterer”.
The court also ordered the dissolution of Benedicta’s marriage to Paul Odekina based on his cross petition, during which Benedicta was unable to prove her allegations of abandonment and sexual impropriety against her husband, whereas her husband was able to prove his case of adultery against her.
The court also dismissed her prayer seeking for N1.5m monthly upkeep, 1 brand new car every 3 years, annual vacation abroad, a share in the family estate and many more, on the grounds that she did not establish any of her claims.
The court further granted custody of the 3 children from the marriage to her husband, declaring that she was unfit in character and behaviour to bring up children, citing her admission of adultery, her conduct during the trial and her statement that she would not recommend her conduct to her daughters. The court also ordered her to hand over the children’s birth certificates and international passports to their father, Mr Paul Odekina.
The Judge further ruled that the adopted daughter of the erstwhile couple, who is a biological daughter of Benedicta’s sister, is to remain in their joint custody.
It should be recalled that both Daddy Freeze and Benedicta were married to different spouses at the time of her pregnancy for Jason. Freeze’s marriage to Opeyemi collapsed in the course of the extramarital affair and the marriage was subsequently dissolved in 2019 by a Lagos High Court. Early in the extramarital affair, Freeze had gone to the social media to allege that his wife was violent and beating him up.
Counsel to Mr Odekina, Elder Wilcox Abereton (SAN), leading Salubi Ebojoh Esq, Victor Nwaiwu Esq, and Eberechi Kema Esq, although not fully satisfied with the award of N5 Million damages against Daddy Freeze, however, applauded the court and hoped the judgment would assuage his client for the pain inflicted on him by Daddy Freeze. He said he was happy that justice had finally been served in spite of Daddy Freeze and Benedicta’s media lies.
Also, a case involving impersonation by Daddy Freeze is ongoing in the Lagos High Court. The case was filed by Benedicta’s estranged husband.
It was gathered that Freeze took Benedicta’s daughter from a boarding school in Port Harcourt and enrolled her in the wrong class in Caleb international School, Lekki, Lagos, very close to his house, where he signed all admission documents parading himself as her father.