The Court of Appeal, sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, has upheld the fine imposed on popular Nigerian On-Air Personality, Ifedayo Olarinde, popularly known as Daddy Freeze, for committing adultery.Recall that a High Court of Rivers State sitting in Port Harcourt, had earlier on February 18, 2021, ordered Daddy Freeze to pay N5m for committing adultery with one Benedicta Elechi (who is now his wife). He was ordered to pay the money to Paul Odekina, who was married to Elechi at the time the adulterous act was committed.
“The sum of N5,000,000 is awarded against Ifedayo Olarinde (the 2nd Cross Respondent to the Cross Petition) as damages for depriving the Cross Petitioner of the amiable consort of his wife (Petitioner/1st Cross Respondent) and for injury suffered as a result of his adultery with the Petitioner/Cross Respondent,” the court held. The court also dissolved the marriage contracted between Paul and Benedicta.
But, not satisfied with the High Court’s judgement, Daddy Freeze approached the appellate court for redress.
Daddy Freeze’s main grounds of appeal were that Odekina did not attempt to serve him personally before applying for substituted service, which violated Order 7 Rule 2 of the Rules of the Trial Court.
However in its judgement on June 26, 2024, the three-man panel of Justice Abubakar Talba, Danlami Senchi, and Hannatu Balogun dismissed Daddy Freeze’s appeal for lack of merit. “Accordingly, the judgment of the Rivers State High Court in Suit No. PHC/403MC/2012 delivered on the 18th February 2021 by J. Akpughunum, is hereby affirmed”, the appellate court ruled.