Posted by By JOE OMOKARO on
Barely 72 hours after his birth, a three-day old baby boy is already at the centre of a paternity squabble between two friends, a certain Mr. Monday and Oluwafemi Shodipe, a pastor.
Barely 72 hours after his birth, a three-day old baby boy is already at the centre of a paternity squabble between two friends, a certain Mr. Monday and Oluwafemi Shodipe, a pastor.
Monday had gone to Itire Police Station, Surulere, Lagos to complain that Shodipe, who he later found out to be his friend had eloped with his second wife, Taye.
He told Sunday Sun that he knew Taye sometime in 2003. According to him, 'At about August 2004 she told me she was pregnant and we both agreed to keep the baby because she had a boy for someone else." He added that 'When the pregnancy was two months old, her mother pleaded with me to take her into my house. But because I didn't want my wife to know, I took her to live with my mother. I later rented a room for her at Ilasamaja, Lagos."
Trouble started, according to Monday, when Taye called him on June 24, 2005, to say that she was travelling to Ibadan to see her relations: 'But on June 27, somebody called me to say that she had put to bed at a hospital in Lagos and was not in Ibadan." He said when he went to her house at Ilasamaja he 'found the house empty."
Disclosing to Sunday Sun his efforts to locate Taye and the baby, Monday said he had had to see Taye's mother to find out the hospital, where she was admitted. 'Her mother assured me that she will bring Taye and my son to my house, but instead of bringing my son on Sunday July 3 (2005), Taye came with five others to my house at about 5 pm to warn me that if I should ask of my son again, I will be missing in this Lagos," he alleged.
Monday also told Sunday Sun that July 4 (2005) was fixed by Taye to name the baby at the hospital premises. And sensing that something was fishy, he had to go to the hospital with Police detectives from Itire police station.
'That was the first day I saw the baby and he is a carbon copy of my father, there is no difference between them," Monday said.
In a curious twist, Monday further alleged that while he was at the Itire police station, he met a man 'who was also laying claim to being the father of the baby. He turned out to be the Pastor that used to pray for us. This is the Pastor I used to go to his house with my wife from time to time for prayers," Monday added.
He told Sunday Sun that he met Shodipe six years ago at a restaurant in Lawanson, Lagos, where they met regularly until he (Shodipe) became a Pastor about two years ago.
But Shodipe, according to a police source, denied he ever knew Monday until they both met at the Itire police station penultimate week.
Insisting that he is the legitimate father of the controversial baby, Pastor Shodipe said: 'We saw the baby and he resembled me. I never saw the man (Monday) in my life before," he claimed.
Shodipe also claimed that he knew the mother of the baby at issue, Taye Ariyo in January 2004 and later went to introduce himself to her relations as her husband. He added that 'in October 2004, she became pregnant and in December, I rented a self-contained apartment for her when she complained that she could not stay in face-me-I-face-you house."
According to Shodipe, Taye absconded from home 'for no just cause and I went to inform her mother to complain and she assured me that she will look for her." He also claimed that since then he had not seen Taye till when she was about to put to bed. 'Her mother came to me that she needed money for hospital bills, so I gave her N20,000 as deposit," Shodipe also claimed.
But Taye told Sunday Sun in her hospital bed on last week that she knew Monday sometime in 2003 at a market where she was selling live chicken. She alleged that she requested Monday to get her an accommodation after she allegedly paid him an initial deposit of N30,000 . ' He showed me an uncompleted building and said he wanted to date me and I agreed. Later, I paid him N20, 000, but could not give me any accommodation only for him to come one day to tell me that he was beaten by thieves. I decided to dump him since 2003 when information got to me that he was of questionable character," she narrated.
She also alleged that in March this year, Monday went to her house rented by Shodipe and 'forced me out with a knife and took me to one room without a bed. He always locked me inside and fed me with only garri (cassava flour) until my mother located the place and rescued me."
On whether her mother forced the door open to rescue her as she claimed, Taye explained that 'There was a man and a woman whom Monday detailed to watch over me."
She said the baby has been christened Michael and Shodipe is the father.
Buttressing his claim, Monday who still insists that he is the legitimate father of the boy said that he registered Taye in his name in a clinic (names withheld) in Surulere sometime last year, even when she (Taye) claimed that she last had an encounter with Monday in 2003.
Contacted on phone Thursday on what he expected would be the likely outcome, Pastor Shodipe told Sunday Sun that 'We are meeting with the police over the paternity issue Tuesday, July 12, 2005. Until then I cannot comment."
Further investigations by Sunday Sun, however, revealed that Taye was treated in that clinic on May 4, 2005 funded by Monday.
As at press time, the Divisional Police Officer of Itire Police station, Mr. Joseph Aborishade told Sunday Sun that investigation was still ongoing.