A human rights lawyer has lodged a fundamental rights enforcement suit against Nollywood actress and self-styled evangelist, Tonto Dikeh, accusing her of subjecting a schoolgirl to a degrading religious ritual and breaching her right to privacy.
The case, filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by Ikechukwu Obasi, seeks declarations and orders against the actress, including N200 million in damages.
The suit was brought under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009.
Obasi is representing the minor, a Junior Secondary School 1 pupil at Durumi II, Abuja, who hails from Rivers State.
According to court documents, the incident allegedly took place on 6 March 2026 after a video and photographs surfaced on Dikeh’s official Facebook page.
The footage reportedly showed the actress performing what she described as a deliverance ritual on the child, who was laid on bare ground and pressed against a stony surface.
The affidavit claims the act amounted to harassment and public shaming, exposing the girl to humiliation and psychological trauma.
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It further argues that publishing the images online violated the child’s constitutional right to privacy under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution and the Child Rights Act 2003.
Obasi contends that portraying the child as demonically possessed could lead to ridicule and discrimination among her peers, stressing that such practices fall outside the lawful exercise of religious freedom.
The lawyer is asking the court to declare the alleged ritual a violation of the child’s dignity under Section 34 of the Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Child Rights Act.
He also seeks an order compelling Dikeh to delete the footage from her social media platforms and issue a public apology in three national newspapers.
In addition, the suit requests a perpetual injunction restraining the actress from conducting similar rites on any Nigerian child.
Obasi maintains that the girl has faced stigmatisation since the video went public and insists that damages of N200 million should be awarded against Dikeh.
At the time of reporting, the case had not yet been assigned a hearing date.