The Directorate of Citizens Rights (DCR) within the Ekiti State Ministry of Justice has taken legal action on behalf of Chef Damilola Adeparusi, commonly known as Chef Dammy, against Pastor Jeremiah Adegoke and the Ekiti State Police Command at the Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti, citing rights violations.
The lawsuit also urges the court to prevent Mr. Adegoke and the police from arresting Chef Dammy, while seeking compensation of N10 million for aggravated damages suffered by the chef, who gained attention after an unsuccessful attempt to break a Guinness World Record.
This legal move comes shortly after Chef Dammy’s reported arrest allegedly at the behest of Pastor Adegoke, the head of Spirit Word Global Mission, an Ekiti-based church that purportedly supported Chef Dammy’s record-breaking cook-a-thon.
The conflict between Chef Dammy and her pastor surfaced in October when the 24-year-old raised alarm about continuous threats and intimidation from individuals she referred to as “people of God” and her pastor.
While the exact cause of the rift between the chef and her once-supportive pastor remains unclear, it appears to have stemmed from the unsuccessful cook-a-thon.
Following Chef Dammy’s public outcry, Pastor Adegoke, through his legal representatives, demanded a retraction of allegedly defamatory statements on social media, an apology published in two prominent national dailies, and payment of N22 million for damages within seven days, under threat of legal action.
However, the lawsuit filed on November 24 by the DCR names Chef Dammy as the applicant and includes Mr. Adegoke, Ajewole Samuel (the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police), and the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 17 Akure, as respondents.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that the sustained harassment, molestation, threats of arrest, and intimidation by the pastor, along with the involvement of Mr. Samuel and the Nigerian police, infringes upon the applicant’s fundamental human rights.
Furthermore, it demands a restraining order against Chef Dammy’s arrest and pursues compensation of N10 million for aggravation and damages.
