A Federal Capital Territory High Court has approved alternative service of court documents via email on Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh in a fundamental rights suit seeking N200m in damages over an alleged exorcism ritual involving a minor.
Human rights lawyer Barrister Ikechukwu Obasi filed the case on behalf of a Junior Secondary School 1 pupil from Durumi II in Abuja, originally from Rivers State. The suit alleges that Dikeh subjected the child to degrading treatment during a religious deliverance session on March 6, 2026.
According to court filings, the incident which was recorded in a video and photographs later shared on the actress’s Facebook page involved the child being placed on bare ground and pressed against a rough surface. The plaintiff claims this resulted in public humiliation, stigma, psychological trauma, and a breach of the child’s rights to dignity and privacy under the 1999 Constitution and the Child Rights Act 2003.
The case is being heard at High Court No. 3 in Maitama before Justice Maryann E. Anenih. On Tuesday, the court granted the request for substituted service after personal service on the defendant proved difficult. The court ordered that documents may be served via two email addresses or through publication in a national newspaper.
Counsel C.E. Okoro told the court that efforts to serve the defendant personally had been unsuccessful. Justice Anenih ruled that sufficient grounds had been established and granted the application.
The suit was filed in March under the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009. An ex parte motion for substituted service was submitted on March 31.
The matter is scheduled for hearing on May 11, 2026.
