A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has reserved ruling until June 9, 2026, on the bail application filed by social media influencer Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, popularly known as Blessing CEO, who is standing trial over an alleged N36 million fraud.
Justice D.I. Dipeolu fixed the date after hearing arguments from both the defence and prosecution during proceedings on Friday.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the defendant on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing, alleging that she fraudulently obtained N36 million from a petitioner in a property transaction.
Counsel to the defendant, P.I. Nwafuru, urged the court to admit his client to bail on liberal terms. However, EFCC prosecuting counsel, S.I. Suleiman, opposed the application, citing a 28-paragraph counter-affidavit filed by the anti-graft agency.
Suleiman told the court that the defendant had at some point failed to honour invitations extended by the EFCC during the investigation and urged the court to reject the bail request while ordering an accelerated hearing of the case.
Earlier, the prosecution presented its first witness, EFCC investigator Bufa Regina Okangbe, who detailed the findings of the agency’s investigation.
According to the witness, the EFCC received a petition alleging that the defendant collected N36 million from the petitioner for a property she did not own. She said investigations included a Bank Verification Number (BVN) search, requests for bank records, inquiries to the Lagos State Land Bureau, and correspondence with the Corporate Affairs Commission regarding the defendant’s company, Break or Makeup Limited.
Okangbe testified that records obtained from the Lagos State Land Bureau showed that the disputed property belonged to one Tunbosun Osobu and not the defendant.
She further stated that Osobu confirmed to investigators that he had leased the property to the defendant for three years, with the lease expiring in 2023 before being renewed in 2025.
The witness also told the court that the defendant, in statements made under caution and in the presence of her lawyer and husband, admitted receiving N30 million from the petitioner.
According to her, the petitioner paid a total of N36 million through a company account, with N25 million transferred into the defendant’s GTBank account and N11 million into her Access Bank account for a property located at No. 1B Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, Lagos.
She added that an analysis of the defendant’s accounts revealed several subsequent transfers, including N8 million to Mr. and Mrs. Osobu, N1.9 million to Beauty City by Lekki, N11 million to the defendant’s mother, Lina Uzoma Okoro, and N15 million to Kenneth Emeka Onuora.
During the proceedings, the prosecution tendered several documents, including the petition, statements made by the defendant, tenancy documents, and bank statements.
The defence objected to the admissibility of the defendant’s statements, arguing that there was no endorsement showing the presence of a legal practitioner and that no video recording of the statement-taking process had been produced.
Justice Dipeolu, however, overruled the objections and admitted the documents into evidence.
The court held that Section 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act permits a suspect’s statement to be taken in the presence of a legal practitioner, a representative of the Legal Aid Council, a civil society organisation representative, or any other person chosen by the suspect.
Under cross-examination, the EFCC witness said the Federal Republic of Nigeria was not a party to any settlement arrangement allegedly reached between the defendant and the petitioner. She also stated that she was unaware of any attempt by the defendant to refund N24 million to the petitioner, as claimed by the defence.
The witness further testified that the petitioner had commenced renovation work on the property before allegedly being ejected by the property owner.
Justice Dipeolu subsequently adjourned the matter until June 9, 2026, for ruling on the bail application and June 22, 2026, for continuation of trial.
