Anu: Davido’s Billionaire Dad, Adedeji Adeleke, Breaks Silence on Decade-Old Paternity Claim

Billionaire businessman and education magnate Adedeji Adeleke has publicly dismissed a decade-old paternity claim involving his son, Nigerian music star David “Davido” Adeleke, saying multiple DNA tests since 2014 have shown “zero probability” that Davido fathered the child at the centre of the dispute. 

The family’s intervention follows renewed public attention after a 12-year-old girl, who has been publicly identified in coverage as Anu Mitchell Adeleke, appealed for a fresh DNA test earlier this month.

Adedeji Adeleke, who is known for avoiding public commentary on family matters, rarely convenes press conferences, making his decision to address the issue directly an unusual and significant intervention in the long-running dispute.

At a press conference circulated widely online, Mr Adeleke addressed the matter directly and read an account he said he had received from a relative of the child’s maternal family. He said he had received a letter in 2014 alleging his son had fathered and then abandoned a child, and that the family had taken immediate action. In the video of the briefing, he emphasized that he staged the conference to address the matter concerning “one little girl called Anu Lupo who lives in Ibadan, and whose lawyer, Kemi Olunloyo, has continued to allege David is the father of.”

He added:

 “I received a letter in 2014 from a lawyer in Ibadan alleging that my son David got somebody pregnant, and abandoned the person with his child.”

Mr Adeleke said multiple tests carried out since that time showed no biological link and stressed his readiness to accept scientific proof to the contrary, saying he has “14 grandchildren and I’ll tell you the story about Anu Lupo, what has happened since I received a letter in 2014… I will tell what actions I took immediately.” 

He also accused journalist Kemi Olunloyo of using social accounts to promote the allegation and questioned the legality of impersonating a minor:

“I’m not even sure if it’s legal for someone to impersonate a minor. This Kemi Olunloyo has been after my son David for many years. Everything she says about David is always negative, trying to put him in bad light with the public.” 

Reading a message he said he had received from the sister to Anu's mother that resides in Abuja, Mr Adeleke quoted:

“Good afternoon sir. Sir, hope your day goes well. I just saw this on a blog post. I just wanted to clarify that the account is not run by me, Ayo or my mom. The account is from Kemi Olunloyo, whom we have caught ties with years ago. I really do not know why she keeps posting these things, knowing fully well that were no longer in communication. We have reached out to her several times to stop posting anything about Anu. I’m sorry if this embarrasses your family in any way.” 

Mr Adeleke added that the family would not publish the DNA reports publicly, citing security concerns.

During the same press conference, Mr Adeleke said that, despite maintaining that the child is not his granddaughter, he had been willing to provide support if the claim had been proven. He stated that he would have accepted the child openly had science shown a biological connection, adding that he had no reason to withhold care.

He said: “If I can be paying the girl’s school fees, be sending her money, knowing full well she’s not my grandchild without telling anybody. If I can ask the mom to come to my school, and go to school free of charge, and still pay her ₦50,000 every month, I would have been so glad if this girl was my granddaughter so I can spoil her silly like the other ones.”

Mr Adeleke also addressed allegations and commentary made by journalist Kemi Olunloyo, rejecting her claims and indicating that the family may consider legal remedies.

He said: “I don’t care what she says, she’s crazy. We are going to consider suing her.”

Continuing his remarks, Mr Adeleke again stressed that his position was not based on personal rejection but on what he described as scientific evidence. He said that the size of his family and his financial capacity were not factors in his refusal to accept the claim.

He stated: “Like I said, I have 14 grandchildren, so what will one more do? Is it that I won’t be able to take of her or bring her into my family? But there is science… DNA. If you say you’re my granddaughter, and the science has proven you’re my granddaughter, I will gladly accept her.”

The businessman did not provide further details on the nature or timing of any potential legal action but reiterated that his family had sought to resolve the matter privately over the years.

Davido’s father’s statement comes amid a period of intense social-media exchanges. Pulse Nigeria earlier reported that the hitmaker has repeatedly addressed the matter on social media, using explicit language and citing the existence of multiple tests.

 In one post he wrote: “After 5 DNA test … she Dey crase .. her and her mom better leave me the f**k alone and go find her papa …” 

Responding to a fan’s question about whether he had met the girl’s mother, Davido posted: “Never met the b***h … except when went For the DNA … very st*pid behavior I will soon treat their FK … 5 f*****g hospitals just to be clear .. the mom needs to go to jail … I don’t blame the poor girl ..”

When another user queried the number of tests, the singer replied: “Yes I chose 3 hospitals and they chose their own two hospitals .. all came out Negative .. this is the last time I’m speaking on this nonsense.” 

He also cited his family in a separate exchange, writing: “You guys don’t know my father … he’s even the one that forced me to go .. Adeleke’s we don’t play about Blood on this side !” and on another occasion posted: “When we strike make nobody beg us ooo ok.”

These posts have been widely shared and have provoked mixed reactions: some social-media users have backed Davido’s insistence that testing has already taken place, while others have criticised the tone of his comments, noting the involvement of a minor. The singer has said he will not speak further on the matter.

On the other side, Anu’s mother, whom public reporting has identified as Ms Grace Ayotomide Labinjoh, has for years maintained that Davido is her daughter’s father and has disputed claims that DNA testing was carried out.

In January 2026, Anu, posted a letter on Instagram appealing for a fresh DNA test, describing emotional distress and bullying at school linked to uncertainty about her paternity. The family of the girl has, according to Mr Adeleke’s account at the briefing, told him they had not operated the social accounts that circulated recent posts and that those accounts were associated with Ms Olunloyo.

Journalist Kemi Olunloyo has been named by the Adeleke family during the press conference as a central actor in promoting the story; she has been a long-time commentator on the case in Nigerian media and online. Meanwhile, allegations of impersonation and the provenance of social accounts are contested and have not been independently verified in the public domain.

Davido’s camp has previously stated that tests were carried out at multiple clinics, a claim repeated by the singer in his posts; Ms Labinjoh has consistently denied that conclusive tests were ever presented to her.

A 12-year-old girl, Anu Mitchell Lupo, born November 19, 2013, is appealing for a fresh DNA test. Her mother, Ms. Ayo Labinjoh, maintains that Davido is the father. The multi-award-winning Afrobeats singer and father Adedeji Adeleke state that multiple DNA tests since 2014 have already excluded Davido. They claim recent social media accounts do not represent the Labinjoh family. The matter is reportedly fuelled by third-party commentary, specifically from journalist Kemi Olunloyo, whose involvement the Adeleke family disputes. Currently, no independently verified DNA results or court rulings have been made public.