Tonto Dikeh Faces N200m Lawsuit Over Alleged Exorcism Of Schoolgirl

Human rights lawyer, Ikechukwu Obasi, has filed a lawsuit against Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory over what he described as a “vicious religious deliverance ritual” allegedly performed on a female school child.

The suit, filed pursuant to the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, seeks several declarations and orders against the actress, including ₦200 million in damages for alleged violations of the child’s rights to dignity and privacy.

Obasi filed the suit on behalf of the minor, a Junior Secondary School 1 student of Junior Secondary School, Durumi II, Abuja, who is originally from Rivers State.

According to the affidavit attached to the originating motion, the incident allegedly occurred on March 6, 2026, when the lawyer said he came across a viral video and photographs posted on Dikeh’s official Facebook page.

In the visual, Dikeh was seen carrying out what the lawyer described as a religious exorcism on the schoolgirl, during which the child was allegedly laid on bare ground and pressed against a stony surface.

The affidavit states, “On 6th March, 2026, I stumbled upon a viral footage and photos on the official Facebook page of the Respondent, Tonto Dikeh, a Nollywood actress showing the Respondent carrying out a vicious religious exorcism on a female school child wherein the child was laid on bare ground while being pressed against the stony surface despite the Respondent wearing artificial finger nails; harassing, and publicly shaming the child.”

The lawyer further argued that the alleged act constituted degrading treatment and exposed the child to public humiliation, stigma, and psychological trauma.

“The actions of the Respondent did not just constitute degrading treatment of the school child but exposed her to contempt, public shame, and likely unspoken child trauma,” the affidavit stated.

Obasi also alleged that the publication of the images and video footage of the incident on social media violated the child’s right to privacy, as guaranteed under Section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and provisions of the Child Rights Act 2003.

“The Respondent’s unauthorised publication of the photos and video footage of the vicious religious rite she carried out on the school child constitutes a violation of the child’s privacy,” the court filing added.

The lawyer further argued that portraying the child as being demonically possessed and attempting to cast out alleged demons could expose the minor to ridicule and discrimination among her peers.

According to Obasi, such actions go beyond the lawful exercise of religious freedom and instead expose the child to public stigma and social ridicule, particularly within the African context.

In the suit, the lawyer is asking the court to declare that the alleged deliverance ritual carried out by Dikeh amounts to a flagrant violation of the child’s fundamental rights to dignity, as guaranteed under Section 34 of the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Child Rights Act.

He is also seeking a declaration that any form of child exorcism or harmful religious rite carried out under the guise of spiritual deliverance violates the fundamental rights of children.

Obasi further requested the court to order Dikeh to remove the video footage and images from all her social media platforms and publish an unreserved apology to the child and Nigerian children in three national newspapers.

In addition, the suit seeks an order of perpetual injunction restraining the actress from carrying out similar religious exorcisms or harmful rites on any Nigerian child.

The lawyer also asked the court to award N200 million in damages against Dikeh for alleged violations of the child’s fundamental rights to dignity and privacy, noting that the child has been facing stigmatisation since the incident occurred.

The case has yet to be assigned a hearing date by the court.