DNA tests prove Davido not father of girl — Adeleke

Dr. Deji Adeleke, father of Afrobeats star Davido, has disclosed that multiple DNA tests confirmed his son is not the father of a girl, Aanu, who has been at the centre of a long-running paternity dispute.

Speaking to journalists at his Lagos residence on Wednesday, Adeleke said DNA tests conducted at different hospitals in Lagos showed a zero per cent probability that Davido is the child’s father.

He said the issue first came to his attention in 2014 after he received a letter from a lawyer in Ibadan alleging that Davido had impregnated a woman, Ayo Labinjoh, and abandoned the child. According to him, the claims were accompanied by a birth certificate that raised questions, including the use of the Adeleke surname for both parents.

Adeleke explained that three DNA tests were conducted for Davido—two returned negative results, while the third sample was declared contaminated. To rule out confusion with Davido’s cousin, Adebayo Adeleke (B-Red), two DNA tests were also conducted for him, both of which were negative.

He said the DNA testing process was transparent, with samples taken via saliva at a Lagos hospital and sent to South Africa for analysis. Both he and the child’s grandmother signed to receive the results.

Despite the outcome, Adeleke said he supported the child and her mother financially for years, including sponsoring their education, until the mother stopped schooling.

The dispute resurfaced in January 2025 after an Instagram account linked to Labinjoh appealed to Davido over alleged bullying of the child and demanded a DNA test. Davido dismissed the claims online, insisting that several DNA tests had already proven he was not the father.

Adeleke further alleged that some social media accounts promoting the abandonment claims were opened and managed by a media personality without the family’s consent.