The Directorate of Citizens Rights (DCR) from the Ministry of Justice in Ekiti State has officially filed a lawsuit on behalf of Ekiti-born Chef Damilola Adeparusi, widely known as Chef Dammy.
This legal action is directed against Pastor Jeremiah Adegoke and the Ekiti State Police Command, accusing them of infringing on the chef’s rights.
The DCR is not only pursuing justice but is also seeking compensation of N10 million for damages on behalf of Chef Dammy. The chef gained recognition following her ambitious attempt to break the Guinness World Record in June of this year
Pastor Adegoke, who heads the Spirit Word Global Mission, a church based in Ekiti, had reportedly sponsored Chef Dammy’s endeavor to break Hilda Baci’s cook-a-thon record.
However, a dispute unfolded between Chef Dammy and her pastor in October, as the 24-year-old chef raised alarm over alleged continuous threats and intimidation from individuals she referred to as “people of God” and her pastor.
Last week, the police summoned Chef Dammy, a 300-level Mass Communication student of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), following a petition filed against her by Pastor Adegoke. The root cause of the conflict between the chef and her once-supportive pastor remains unclear, but it appears to have stemmed from the failed cook-a-thon.
In response to Chef Dammy’s public outcry, Pastor Adegoke, through his lawyers at Bisayo Sule & Co legal practitioners, issued a letter dated October 23, 2023.
The letter demanded a retraction of the alleged defamatory statement on social media, an apology published in two widely read national dailies, and payment of N22 million for damages. Chef Dammy was given a seven-day ultimatum to comply with these demands or face legal consequences.
However, in the lawsuit filed by the DCR on November 24, Chef Dammy is named as the applicant, while Pastor Adegoke, Ajewole Samuel (Ekiti State Commissioner of Police), and the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 17 Akure, are named as respondents.
This legal action seeks a declaration that the ongoing harassment, molestation, threat of arrest, and intimidation by both the pastor and the Nigerian police infringe upon Chef Dammy’s fundamental human rights.
| LIB
