Actress Queeneth Hilbert sues police, Destiny Etiko, seeks court protection against arrest

Ms Hilbert accused Ms Etiko of snatching her wealthy boyfriend and other colleagues’ benefactors, who allegedly sponsor their lavish lifestyles.

Nollywood actress Queeneth Hilbert has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court, Lagos, seeking protection from arrest and prosecution by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

She alleges a violation of her fundamental rights and claims the police attempted to arrest her at the instigation of fellow actress Destiny Etiko.

Ms Hilbert filed a fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court in Lagos, alleging that police officers attempted to unlawfully detain her on 8 March, at the instigation of Ms Etiko.

She claims the police actions violate her constitutional rights and are an abuse of power.

The suit stems from a now-deleted video on her Instagram page, wherein Ms Hilbert accused Ms Etiko of snatching her wealthy boyfriend and other colleagues’ benefactors, who allegedly sponsor their lavish lifestyles.

However, in response to the allegations, Ms Etiko, 35, issued a cease-and-desist letter through her legal representatives, Nwabundo Associates.

Ms Etiko’s legal team gave Ms Hilbert 48 hours to retract the allegations and publicly apologise to their client.

They also demanded N100 million in damages for the harm the allegations caused to their client’s reputation.

Ms Hilbert’s Suit

PREMIUM TIMES obtained copies of the court filings from her official Facebook handle on Monday. The suit, marked FHC/L/CS/453/25, names the IGP as the first respondent and Ms Etiko as the second respondent. 

Ms Hilbert demands a court declaration that her arrest attempt and ongoing threats against her violate Sections 34, 35, 39, and 41 of the 1999 Constitution, guaranteeing human dignity, personal liberty, freedom of expression, and movement.

She is also seeking N100 million in damages for the alleged harassment and restriction of her movement.

Order

Ms Hilbert seeks a perpetual injunction restraining the police from arresting, interrogating, or detaining her over a statement she made on Instagram on 7 March.

She demands a declaration that an alleged home invasion by armed police officers at her residence in Asaba, Delta State, is a violation of her fundamental rights.

“Order of perpetual injunction restraining all police officers under the control and command of the 1* Respondent or any Commissioner of Police of any states of the federation or any other Law Enforcement Agency from arresting, interrogating and detaining the Applicant in respect of the statement made against the 2 Respondent on her Instagram handle,” she said.

Backstory

The legal battle stems from a long-standing feud between Ms Hilbert and Ms Etiko, dating back to 2020.

According to court documents, Ms Hilbert accused Ms Etiko of twice interfering in her romantic relationships.

She claims the first incident occurred in 2020 when her then-fiancé, Tony Ujiagbedion, visited her on a movie set in Enugu.

Ms Hilbert alleges that Ms Etiko deliberately sought out Mr Ujiagbedion and later met with him privately, leading to the eventual breakdown of her engagement.

A second incident allegedly occurred in 2024 when Ms Hilbert’s new partner, Izuchukwu Callistus, lent N15 million to Ms Etiko.

Ms Hilbert claims that upon discovering this, she warned Mr Callistus to cut ties with Ms Etiko, fearing a repeat of her previous experience.

Ms Hilbert further alleges that Ms Etiko later conspired with an Instagram blogger, Ajemba Stanlelabellingze, to defame her by labelling her a “drug addict.”

She claims this social media smear campaign caused her to lose lucrative endorsement deals.

Allegations of police harassment

According to Ms Hilbert, the conflict escalated on 8 March, when she received a cease-and-desist letter from Ms Etiko’s lawyers, demanding she stop making public statements about their feud.

She said that same day, a police officer contacted her identified as Superintendent Paul, who summoned her to Abuja for questioning over allegations of cyberbullying made by Ms Etiko.

Later that night, she claims that armed police officers wearing hoods and wielding weapons arrived at her Asaba residence to arrest her.

However, Ms Hilbert, who had been tipped off, was reportedly at a neighbour’s house and avoided the confrontation.

From 8 to 10 March, Ms Hilbert alleges she received multiple threats, warning her to halt all film projects until she secured legal protection.

She says one direct message on Instagram warned her to avoid movie productions in Delta State.

Her lawyer, Ebinimi Beredugo, has described the police’s actions as unlawful and politically motivated, urging the court to intervene and protect Ms Hilbert’s constitutional rights.

Ms Hilbert, who says she has since fled to Lagos for safety, argues in her affidavit that her freedom of expression, movement, and personal liberty will continue to be at risk unless the court intervenes.

She also claims she has suffered financial losses, having had to cancel multiple movie projects due to fears of arrest.

The case is expected to be heard at the Federal High Court in Lagos, though no date has been set.