A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on February 18, 2021, ordered popular On-Air Personality, Ifedayo Olarinde, fondly referred to as Daddy Freeze, to pay the sum of N5m for committing adultery with one Benedicta Elechi.
Daddy Freeze was ordered to pay the money to Paul Odekina, who was married to Elechi at the time the adulterous act was committed.
In the Court documents obtained by the media, with the suit no PHC/403MC/2012, Mrs Benedicta Odekina is the Petitioner/Cross Respondent, while Mr Paul Odekina is 1st Respondent and Cross Petitioner while Ifedayo Olarinde (Freeze) is the Co-Respondent.
The presiding judge, Hon Justice Akpughunum, ruled that the OAP pay the sum of N5m as “damages for depriving Odekina amiable consort of his wife”.
The document read in part, “The sum of N5,000,000 is awarded against Ifedayo Olarinde (the 2nd Cross Respondent to the Cross Petition) as damages for depriving the Cross Petitioner of the amiable consort of his wife (Petitioner/1st Cross Respondent) and for the injury suffered as a result of his adultery with the Petitioner/Cross Respondent.
“An Order of injunction is hereby granted, preventing Ifedayo Olarinde ― the Co-Respondent to the Cross Petition ― from having access or dealing whatsoever with the children of the marriage until they attain the age of majority.”
The Judge then proceeded to dissolve the marriage between Paul and Benedicta due to Benedicta’s adulterous act with Daddy Freeze.
“An order of Decree Nisi is hereby granted, dissolving the marriage contracted between Paul Ochenu Odekina and Benedicta Nkemdilim Elechi-Agunabo on the 26/1/2002 at the Chaplaincy of the Holy Rosary CIWA at Port Harcourt on the ground that the marriage has been broken down irretrievably by reason of the Petitioner/ Cross respondent having committed adultery and intolerable behaviour of the Petitioner/ Cross Respondent which the Respondent cannot be expected to live with the Petitioner/Cross Respondent,” the document read.
However, Paul has been granted custody of the children produced in the marriage and Benedicta has been ordered to hand over the children’s passports and birth certificates.
The document read, “The custody of the three children of the marriage is hereby granted to the Respondent/Cross Petitioner. To give effect to the proposed arrangement for the educational advancement welfare and health of the children of the marriage, the Petitioner/Cross Respondent is hereby ordered and directed to hand over the international passports and birth certificates of the children to the Respondent/Cross Petitioner.”
In a phone interview with The PUNCH, Daddy Freeze confirmed the development but noted that he would release a statement over the matter.
“I will release a statement on my Instagram handle in due time; not today, but in due time. There are things that I want to ensure that I have proper information on before I release my statement.
“Here is my take, watch my Instagram handle; I will address this properly and release my statement but I have to be guarded. I am just discussing with the appropriate quarters how best to address this issue. Please, just watch my Instagram handle. Before the end of next week, I will have a response,” he said.