A human rights lawyer, Ikechukwu Obasi, has filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory against Nollywood actress and self-proclaimed evangelist Tonto Dikeh.
The suit accuses Dikeh of violating the rights of a female school child during what the lawyer described as a “vicious religious deliverance ritual.”
Filed under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, the case seeks several declarations and court orders against the actress, including ₦200 million in damages for alleged violations of the child’s rights to dignity and privacy.
The minor involved in the case is a Junior Secondary School 1 student from Rivers State who attends school in Abuja. She is being represented in the matter by Obasi.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the suit, the incident reportedly occurred on March 6, 2026, after the lawyer said he came across viral photos and a video posted on Dikeh’s official Facebook page.
In the footage, the actress allegedly performed what was described as a religious exorcism on the schoolgirl, during which the child was reportedly laid on bare ground and pressed against a stony surface.
Obasi argued that the act subjected the child to degrading treatment, public humiliation and possible psychological trauma.
He also alleged that publishing the images and video online violated the child’s right to privacy as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Child Rights Act 2003, potentially exposing her to ridicule and discrimination.
The lawyer is therefore asking the court to award ₦200 million in damages, citing the stigma the child has allegedly faced since the incident became public.
As of the time of filing the suit, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory had not yet assigned a hearing date for the case.
