Punuka warns Davido over social media backlash in Lagos custody case, urging respect for the rule of law and protection of legal practitioners

Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors, the law firm representing Sophia Momodu in an ongoing child custody dispute with Afrobeats star Davido, on Monday issued a stern warning to the singer and his supporters over what it described as inflammatory public statements directed at its partner, Ebelechukwu Enedah.

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In a statement released in Lagos, the firm condemned “all manner of inflammatory public statements” arising from Enedah’s professional conduct in proceedings currently before a Lagos State court.

Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors said the matter was sub judice and would be determined solely “by the court alone, on evidence and law”.

The firm cautioned that attempts to threaten or harass legal practitioners outside the courtroom risk undermining the rule of law.

“Our attention has been drawn to statements chiefly engineered by a Nigerian Afrobeat artiste, via social media, directed at our partner arising from her professional conduct in a custody matter presently pending before a court of competent jurisdiction in Lagos State,” the statement read.

The firm added that if lawyers were exposed to intimidation for testing evidence or asking questions during cross examination, “then the very foundation of justice is imperilled”.

The warning followed a series of social media posts by Davido last Friday in which Davido expressed anger over remarks made during cross examination that referenced Davido’s deceased son.

In a widely circulated Instagram post, Davido described the lawyer involved as “wicked” and “the worst lawyer ever”, adding that Davido had “beaten” the counsel in court.

In a separate development, Davido mistakenly identified gospel artiste Tosin Bee in connection with the dispute, triggering a wave of online harassment against the musician.

Tosin Bee swiftly clarified that Tosin Bee had no involvement in the matter and described the incident as a case of mistaken identity.

The online backlash intensified to the point that Enedah restricted access to her social media accounts.

Punuka warns Davido and others, the firm said, not to engage in conduct capable of interfering with judicial proceedings.

The firm called on the Nigerian Bar Association and legal practitioners worldwide to condemn actions that could compromise the administration of justice.

“Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors will deploy every lawful measure available to it to resist any attempt to intimidate counsel or undermine judicial proceedings,” the statement added, describing the situation as a troubling test of professional independence.

In a separate post on X, Davido confirmed that Davido intended to withdraw the custody case, clarifying that Davido had sought joint custody, not sole custody, of Davido’s daughter.

Davido wrote that “nobody won, nobody lost, but Imade”, and urged all parties to move on.

Court filings previously showed that Davido had approached the Lagos State High Court with an originating motion seeking joint custody.