A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on February 18, 2021, ordered popular broadcaster, Ifedayo Olarinde, aka Daddy Freeze, to pay the sum of N5m for committing adultery with his lover, 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 one of our correspondents, with the suit no PHC/403MC/2012, Mrs Benedicta Nkemdilim Odekina is the Petitioner/Cross Respondent, while Mr Paul Odekina is 1st Respondent/Cross Petitioner and Ifedayo Olarinde (Freeze) is the Co-Respondent to Petition/Cross Respondent.
The presiding Judge, Hon Justice Akpughunum, ruled that the OAP should 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 as damages for depriving the cross petitioner of the amiable consort of his wife and for injury suffered as a result of his adultery with the petitioner/cross respondent.
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 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.
Paul was also granted custody of the children produced in the marriage, while Benedicta was ordered to hand over the children’s passports and birth certificates.
In a phone interview with one of our correspondents, Daddy Freeze confirmed the development but noted that he would release a statement on his Instagram page in due time.
“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.