Tonto Dikeh Dragged to Court Over Deliverance’ Session with School Girl

Ikechukwu Obasi, a prominent Nigerian human rights lawyer, has filed a legal action against Nollywood actress and self-proclaimed evangelist Tonto Dikeh at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, over the violation of the fundamental rights of a female schoolchild.

This comes after a viral video showing Dikeh conducting religious deliverance on the minor during an evangelism outreach.

Reacting to the video, the lawyer Obasi condemned the act as abusive and degrading, labelling it a form of child exorcism that exposed the innocent minor to physical, emotional, and mental harm under the guise of spiritual intervention.

According to the suit, the incident breached the child’s constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, and protection from torture or degrading treatment, as written in Section 34 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and the Child Rights Act 2003.

The legal action seeks several declarations and court orders against Dikeh, including a formal recognition of the rights violations. It demands N200 million in damages to compensate for the harm inflicted on the child’s dignity and privacy.

This development follows earlier reports where Obasi issued a 72-hour ultimatum for a public apology.