Ekiti sues Chef Dammy’s pastor, police over arrest

 

The Directorate of Citizens Rights (DCR) from the Ministry of Justice in Ekiti State has initiated legal proceedings on behalf of Chef Damilola Adeparusi, popularly known as Chef Dammy, against Pastor Jeremiah Adegoke and the Ekiti State Police Command. The lawsuit alleges a violation of Chef Dammy's

rights.

The DCR is also seeking compensation of N10 million for damages on behalf of Chef Dammy, who gained fame after her unsuccessful attempt to break the Guinness World Record for a cook-a-thon challenge in June of this year.

Pastor Adegoke, the head pastor of Spirit Word Global Mission, an Ekiti-based church, had reportedly sponsored Chef Dammy's cook-a-thon record attempt. The dispute between Chef Dammy and her pastor emerged in October, with the chef raising concerns about alleged threats and intimidation from individuals she referred to as "people of God" and her pastor. Last week, the 24-year-old, a 300-level Mass Communication student at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), was summoned by the police following a petition filed against her by Adegoke. The exact nature of the disagreement between the chef and her once-supportive pastor remains unclear, and it seems to have originated from the failed cook-a-thon.

In response to Chef Dammy's public statements, Adegoke, through his lawyers at Bisayo Sule & Co legal practitioners, issued a letter on October 23, 2023, demanding a retraction of the alleged defamatory statement on social media, an apology in two widely read national dailies, and payment of N22 million for damages. Chef Dammy was given seven days to comply with the demands or face legal action.

In the lawsuit filed by DCR on November 24, Chef Dammy is listed as the applicant, while Adegoke, Ajewole Samuel (the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police), and the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 17 Akure, are named as respondents. The legal action seeks a declaration that the continued harassment, molestation, threat of arrest, and intimidation by the pastor and the Nigerian police infringe on Chef Dammy's fundamental human rights.