A human rights lawyer, Ikechukwu Obasi, has filed a N200 million lawsuit against Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh over a viral video showing her performing a religious deliverance on a schoolgirl in Abuja.
The suit was filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009.
According to court documents, the case was instituted on behalf of the minor, a Junior Secondary School One student at Junior Secondary School Durumi II in Abuja. The student is said to be originally from Rivers State.
In an affidavit supporting the suit, Obasi said he discovered a video and photographs shared on the actress’s official Facebook page on March 6, 2026, which allegedly showed her conducting what he described as a forceful religious deliverance on the student during a visit to the school.
The affidavit claimed that during the session, the child was placed on bare ground and held against a rough surface while the ritual was carried out.
The lawyer argued that the incident amounted to harassment and exposed the minor to public embarrassment.
He further told the court that the circulation of the footage on social media could subject the child to shame, ridicule and emotional distress, particularly among her peers.
Obasi also raised concerns about the publication of the images and video online, arguing that posting the footage without concealing the child’s identity violated her right to privacy as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution, the Child Rights Act, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
According to the lawyer, portraying the schoolgirl as being possessed by evil spirits could expose her to discrimination and ridicule from classmates and the wider public.
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He further argued that such acts go beyond ordinary religious practice and may expose minors to stigma, especially in communities where beliefs about witchcraft and spiritual attacks are widespread.
Through the suit, the lawyer is asking the court to declare that the alleged deliverance ritual breached the child’s right to dignity under Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution.
He is also seeking an order directing Tonto Dikeh to remove all videos and photos related to the incident from her social media platforms.
In addition, the suit requests that the actress publish a public apology to the child and to Nigerian children in three national newspapers, and that she be restrained from conducting similar deliverance rituals involving minors in the future.
Obasi is also asking the court to award N200 million in damages for what he described as violations of the child’s rights to dignity and privacy.
According to him, the student has already faced stigmatisation following the circulation of the video online.
