Dupe Akande, an Oyo State resident, has accused Abiodun Ige, her former partner, of preventing her from making contact with Temitola Adenike Ige, their daughter, for about 25 years.

Akande told FIJ that Ige, Temitola’s biological father, has constantly stood in her way, refusing to let her see and hear from her daughter.

According to Akande, Ige gained custody of Temitola when she was critically ill in 1997.

“I was very ill at that time and had to entrust my little daughter to Ige. Temitola was four years old,” Akande told FIJ.

“I gave birth to my daughter on February 28, 1993. Her father left me and his daughter immediately after the naming ceremony. He never came back to us. In 1997, I became ill. I got admitted into a University College Hospital (UCH) ward in Ibadan.

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“I underwent two major surgical operations. Before my second operation, my little girl asked for her father. ‘Take me to my father. You will come for me when you return,’ she told me. I agreed because I was not sure if I would survive the operation.”

Akande had a successful surgery and recovered. She said she then set out to see her daughter but a group of people from Ige’s family denied her access to Temitola.

“Ige was supposed to look after his daughter but his family did that instead,” Akande said.

“His mother, Temitola’s paternal grandmother, did not let me see my child. She stalled and deceived me for some time.  They later gave Temitola to her aunt, Remi, nee Ige. Since then, I have been looking for Temitola.”

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Akande said two years ago, she went to confront Ige once more about her daughter’s whereabouts.

“Ige refused to reveal where Temitola was and how she was fairing to me,” she said. 

“He asked me why I was just coming to ask for Temitola after all these years. But I had been looking for her for a very long time. I had searched for my daughter on Facebook. I’d also visited her grandmother’s place numerous times. Ige’s mother gave me no useful information. She refused to tell me anything until she passed away.

“I know very little about Temitola now. I don’t even know if they have changed her name. Her aunt who took Temitola away had no child of her own when she took her in. It was an in-law of the Iges who told me Temitola’s grandmother gave her out to her aunt for grooming.” 

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Akande said Ige kept his lips sealed despite the intervention of a number of people.  

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been looking for Temitola. Her mother tried to get her back but to no avail. I followed her to Temitola’s grandmother’s place several times but the woman refused to give us any information till she died. She only promised that we would see Temitola soon,” Oyin Akinradewo, a longtime friend of Akande, told FIJ.

“At that time, not everyone had a mobile phone. Reaching out to people was not easy. We had to visit whoever we wished to see. Since we had no address to go to, we had to rely on Temitola’s grandmother. We sought to get even a phone number to reach Temitola, but we got none.”

FIJ made several phone calls to Ige on Saturday but they were not answered. He has also not responded to a text message sent to him at press time.