Witness Testifies in Ikeja Court Over Alleged N69.15m Lease Fraud Involving Blessing CEO

The first prosecution witness, PW1, Dr Onuoha Okeigwe, testified before Justice R. A. Oshodi of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, that he paid N69,150,000 for a five-year lease of a property that was allegedly presented to him as belonging to social media influencer Blessing Nkiruka Okoro, popularly called Blessing CEO. The witness gave evidence on Monday, October 12, as the trial continued. According to Dele Oyewale, head of Media and Publicity at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Blessing CEO was arraigned by the EFCC's Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 on June 9, 2026. She faces a two-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence and stealing involving N69,150,000. The first count alleges that Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, on or about March 21, 2025, in Lagos, within the court's jurisdiction, by false pretence and with intent to defraud, induced Hope Chiropractic Health Clinic Limited to confer a benefit of N69,150,000 on her. The charge says she represented that the property at No. 1 Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, belonged to her and had been leased to the company for five years, a claim she allegedly knew was false. The alleged offence is contrary to Section 1(2) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act. When the charges were read to her, the defendant pleaded not guilty. The witness told the court that he contacted the defendant, who he said dismissed his concerns. The next day, a man identified as Mr Tom reportedly came with police officers and arrested some of the workers. The witness said he informed the defendant, and she claimed she did not know Mr Tom. He said he paid N100,000 to secure the release of his workers. Blessing continued to insist that she did not know Mr Tom and that she owned the property, he said. He also identified WhatsApp messages in which the defendant allegedly sent photographs of the building as proof of ownership. The witness further told the court that he paid the defendant additional charges, including agency, legal and caution fees. He maintained that the alleged misrepresentation was that the defendant was not the actual owner of the property despite collecting N69,150,000 from him. He also stated that the defendant collected money from him and another victim for the same property. Justice Oshodi adjourned the case until October 26, 2026, for continuation of the trial.