By
CoolNews Nigeria Reporter, Abuja
Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has reserved ruling until June 9, 2026, on the bail application filed by popular social media influencer, Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, widely known as Blessing CEO, who is currently facing trial over an alleged N36 million fraud.
Blessing CEO is being prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a two-count charge bordering on alleged obtaining by false pretence and stealing.
At Friday’s proceedings, defence counsel, P.I. Nwafuru, urged the court to admit the defendant to bail on liberal terms, insisting that she would not jump trial.
However, EFCC prosecuting counsel, S.I. Suleiman, opposed the application, informing the court that the anti-graft agency had filed a 28-paragraph counter-affidavit deposed to by the investigating officer, Bufa Regina Okangbe, on May 29, 2026.
Suleiman told the court that the defendant allegedly stopped honouring invitations extended to her during the course of investigations.
“We urge Your Lordship not to accede to the request of the defence and instead order an accelerated hearing of the matter,” the prosecution counsel submitted.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Dipeolu adjourned ruling on the bail application to June 9, 2026.
Earlier, the EFCC opened its case with testimony from its first witness, investigator Bufa Regina Okangbe, who narrated how the Commission allegedly uncovered a trail of bank transactions, property records and witness statements linked to the alleged fraud.
According to the witness, investigations began after the EFCC received a petition alleging that the defendant collected N36 million from a petitioner over a property transaction involving a property she allegedly did not own.
Okangbe said a Bank Verification Number (BVN) search conducted on the defendant exposed multiple bank accounts linked to her, prompting the Commission to obtain statements from the banks and request property ownership verification from the Lagos State Land Bureau.
She further disclosed that the EFCC also contacted the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) concerning the defendant’s company, Break or Makeup Limited.
The witness told the court that the defendant later made statements under caution in the presence of her lawyer and husband, allegedly admitting that the petitioner paid her N30 million.
According to the EFCC investigator, findings from the Lagos State Land Bureau showed that the disputed property did not belong to the defendant but to one Mr. Tunbosun Osobu.
She stated that Mr. Osobu subsequently appeared before the Commission alongside his lawyer and son, where he allegedly confirmed leasing the property to the defendant for three years before renewing the lease in 2025.
The prosecution also tendered several documents, including the petition, statements allegedly made by the defendant, tenancy documents, and bank statements linked to both the petitioner and the defendant.
Defence counsel objected to the admissibility of the defendant’s statements, arguing that there was no indication that a legal practitioner was present during the recording process and that no video evidence of the statement-taking was presented before the court.
But the prosecution argued that the law only required the presence of a legal practitioner or any person chosen by the defendant and maintained that the statements were relevant to the matter.
Justice Dipeolu overruled the objections and admitted the documents as exhibits, citing provisions of Section 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Continuing her testimony, the EFCC witness told the court that investigations revealed that N25 million was transferred into the defendant’s GTBank account, while another N11 million was allegedly paid into her Access Bank account for the lease of a property located at No. 1B Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, Lagos.
She further alleged that subsequent analysis of the defendant’s bank accounts revealed 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.
Under cross-examination, the witness maintained that the Federal Republic of Nigeria, being the complainant in the criminal proceedings, was not part of any settlement arrangement allegedly entered into between the defendant and the petitioner.
She also stated that she was unaware of any refund of N24 million allegedly made by the defendant to the petitioner.
Justice Dipeolu subsequently adjourned the matter until June 9, 2026, for ruling on the bail application and June 22, 2026, for continuation of trial.
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