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Presidential Aide Ibidapo Oyewole Sued by Estranged Wife Over Child Custody Battle

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9 hours ago

Mar 17, 2025.

Dooshima Oyewole has taken her estranged husband, presidential aide Ibidapo Oyewole, to court over the custody of their child.
She alleges years of emotional, financial, and physical abuse, claiming she was denied access to their son after their separation.
Dooshima seeks joint legal custody, shared financial responsibility, and conditions for the child’s relocation if Oyewole remarries or moves abroad.

A presidential aide, Ibidapo Oyewole, has been taken to the Family Court of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by his estranged wife, Dooshima Oyewole, over the custody of their child.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that in an application marked C/295/25, filed under Section 69(1) of the Child Rights Act, 2003, Dooshima seeks joint legal and physical custody of their child, along with shared financial responsibility for the child’s welfare.

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According to a 37-paragraph affidavit filed before the court, Dooshima stated that she and Oyewole got married at the Abuja Municipal Area Council registry on May 28, 2011. She revealed that their marriage faced challenges due to delayed childbirth, which exposed her to intense pressure and led her to make several personal sacrifices, including resigning from her job as a journalist and radio broadcaster.

She disclosed that after six months of unsuccessful attempts to conceive, she embarked on a difficult seven-year fertility journey, undergoing various invasive treatments in Abuja, Lagos, and the United Kingdom.

She claimed she was falsely led to believe that she was solely responsible for their inability to conceive and endured multiple medical procedures, including surgeries and rounds of IVF, which resulted in significant physical and emotional distress.

Dooshima stated that she secured £35,000 in medical funding from the British government’s East Sussex County National Health Service for fertility treatment.

It was during this process that doctors diagnosed Oyewole with Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, a condition affecting sperm quality, which she said was the primary cause of their infertility. She alleged that Oyewole was likely aware of this condition, as his previous six-year marriage did not produce any children.

She further claimed that during her successful pregnancy in the UK, Oyewole abandoned her and relocated to Nigeria to pursue career opportunities with McKinsey & Company, an American multinational management consulting firm.

She recounted enduring financial and emotional hardship, relying on support from the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Eastbourne while also taking up employment to sustain herself.

Dooshima stated that in May 2017, while 28 weeks pregnant, Oyewole visited her in the UK. However, she alleged that the visit was marked by verbal abuse and emotional distress, which triggered life-threatening pregnancy complications and led to pre-term labor.

She claimed that Oyewole abandoned her while she was in active labor, bleeding, and in pain, returning to Nigeria without making any arrangements for her medical care. With the assistance of her church community, she was rushed to the hospital, where she gave birth to their son on May 30, 2017, at just 900 grams (extremely premature).

The newborn required 12 weeks of intensive care at the Trevor Mann Baby Unit at Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, and Special Care Baby Unit at Conquest Hospital, St. Leonards On-Sea. During this period, she alleged that Oyewole visited only twice from Nigeria.

Dooshima stated that from 2017 to 2019, she raised their child alone while juggling work and studies in the UK. In December 2019, under pressure from Oyewole, she resigned from her job and returned to Nigeria. However, she alleged that in December 2021, Oyewole physically assaulted her in the presence of his 67-year-old mother, who was unable to intervene. She claimed that his sister advised her to flee for her safety.

She stated that she was forced to leave the family home at night without her personal belongings, while being denied access to their child, who was allegedly locked in a room.

Dooshima now requests that the court grant her joint legal custody of their son until he reaches adulthood. She proposes that she should have unrestricted access to the child during the school year while he resides with Oyewole in Abuja, and that the child should not be relocated without her consent.

She further demands that if Oyewole relocates for work, studies, or marriage, the child should move to the United States to live with her, while visiting Oyewole during holidays.

Additionally, she insists that Oyewole should bear 50% of all financial responsibilities, including accommodation, tuition fees, extracurricular activities, health insurance, clothing, feeding, pocket money, and transportation.

The court has yet to fix a date for the hearing.

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