Year: 2025

Nigerian OAP Dotun has gone public with allegations that the United States Embassy in Nigeria played a role in allowing his ex-wife, Taiwo Oyebanjo, to relocate their two daughters to America without his permission, even though a custody case was still active in a Nigerian court at the time. Dotun and Taiwo, who were married for eight years, have been in a long-running dispute over custody. He has repeatedly claimed that Taiwo, her relatives, and her brother D’Banj have shut him out of the children’s lives despite a court ruling that granted both parents joint custody. Speaking out on social media, Dotun said the children left Nigeria three years ago in direct violation of a court order that barred either parent from taking them abroad. He noted that he kept the original passports and that the order explicitly required his consent before any travel could take place. Despite this, he alleged that the American embassy issued fresh passports for the children — U.S. citizens by birth — without informing him, checking for consent, or reviewing existing court restrictions. He described the embassy’s conduct as biased and negligent, writing that “The American embassy in Nigeria is an enabler of child abduction… very biased. No proper investigation.” He added that he had written to the embassy for years but chose to remain silent until now. Dotun also accused former U.S. Consul-General Mary Beth Leonard of presiding over what he called a “compromised and biased process,” claiming the embassy ignored its two-parent consent requirement. He suggested that “papers were most likely forged, or games played,” insisting that the manner in which the children obtained new passports was irregular. According to him, the situation not only breached his parental rights but dragged a domestic custody matter into an international confrontation. He questioned how the children were cleared to leave Nigeria despite a court case, travel restrictions, and his refusal to grant consent. He argued that the process showed disregard for the rights of a non-American parent, saying, “Even though my children are U.S. citizens, their mother is not. Issuing new passports without my consent or a court mandate shows a failure to protect the rights of a non-American father.” In his posts, he also criticised the system, writing, “When a court gives an order in a country. Is it null & void just because someone can cook up the best lies? I feel it is apparent that whatever @POTUS is trying to clean up in the immigration system is somewhat valid especially to people that lie to gain access. The American embassy it’s time to provide my kids or give me a fair hearing. Una don buy better market.” He went on to accuse unnamed individuals of submitting fake documents and defamatory publications to justify the relocation, adding, “Do you not need the consent of both parents to issue a passport? Do you realize people submit fake documents and publications to mar the reputation of people. It’s 3 years now American embassy; Where are my kids?” As at the time this report was filed, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria had not issued any public statement in response to Dotun’s claims.