Court Reserves Ruling on Blessing CEO’s Bail in Alleged N36m Property Fraud Case
Social media personality Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, popularly known as Blessing CEO, may have to wait a few more days to know her fate after a Federal High Court in Lagos reserved ruling on her bail application in an alleged N36 million property fraud case.
Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, adjourned ruling on the bail request until June 9, 2026, following arguments from both the defence and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Blessing CEO is facing a two-count charge bordering on alleged obtaining by false pretence and stealing. The EFCC alleges that she collected N36 million from a complainant for a property she did not own.
During proceedings, defence counsel P.I. Nwafuru urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms. However, EFCC counsel S.I. Suleiman opposed the application, citing a 28-paragraph counter-affidavit filed by the Commission.
Suleiman told the court that the defendant allegedly failed to honour some invitations extended to her during the course of the investigation and urged the judge to reject the bail application and instead order an accelerated hearing of the case.
The court subsequently reserved its decision on the matter until June 9.
Earlier, the EFCC opened its case with testimony from its first witness, investigator Bufa Regina Okangbe, who detailed the agency’s investigation into the alleged fraud.
According to the witness, the EFCC launched its probe after receiving a petition and later conducted a Bank Verification Number (BVN) search, which revealed multiple bank accounts linked to the defendant.
Okangbe said investigators obtained records from banks, the Lagos State Land Bureau, and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as part of the inquiry. She testified that Blessing CEO admitted receiving N30 million from the complainant during questioning conducted in the presence of her lawyer and husband.
The witness further told the court that the Lagos State Land Bureau confirmed the disputed property belonged to Tunbosun Osobu and not the defendant.
She added that Osobu later appeared before investigators and confirmed that he had leased the property to the defendant for three years, with the arrangement reportedly renewed in 2025.
The prosecution tendered several documents, including the petition, the defendant’s statements, a tenancy acquisition form, and bank records belonging to both parties.
The defence challenged the admissibility of the defendant’s statements and the bank documents, arguing that there was no evidence of legal representation during the recording of the statements and questioning the validity of the banking records.
However, Justice Dipeolu dismissed the objections and admitted the documents as evidence, holding that the law allows a suspect’s statement to be taken in the presence of a legal practitioner or any other person chosen by the suspect.
Continuing her testimony, Okangbe alleged that the complainant paid N36 million to the defendant for a lease agreement involving a property located on Tunbosun Osobu Street in Lekki, Lagos. She said N25 million was paid into the defendant’s GTBank account, while N11 million was transferred to her Access Bank account.
The investigator also traced several transactions allegedly made from the accounts, including transfers to the property owner, the defendant’s mother, and other individuals.
Under cross-examination, the witness said the Federal Government was not aware of any settlement agreement between the defendant and the complainant and could not confirm claims that N24 million had been refunded.
She also stated that the complainant had already begun renovation work on the property before being allegedly evicted by its owner.
The court adjourned the case until June 22, 2026, for the continuation of trial, while ruling on the bail application is expected on June 9.
