A prosecution witness has told the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, how he allegedly paid ₦69.15 million for a five-year lease of a property represented to him as belonging to social media influencer Blessing Nkiruka, popularly known as Blessing CEO.
The witness, Dr Onuoha Okeigwe, who testified as PW1, gave the account on Monday, October 12, 2026, during the continuation of the trial before Justice R. A. Oshodi.
Blessing CEO was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on June 9, 2026, on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing involving ₦69,150,000.
Count one of the charge alleges that the defendant, on or about March 21, 2025, in Lagos, fraudulently induced Hope Chiropractic Health Clinic Limited to pay her ₦69,150,000 under the representation that a property at No. 1 Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, belonged to her and had been leased to the company for five years.
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.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to her.
During his testimony, Okeigwe told the court that he contacted the defendant after an incident involving a man identified as Mr Tom, who reportedly arrived at the property with police officers and arrested some of the workers.
According to the witness, the defendant denied knowing Mr Tom and maintained that she owned the property.
“I informed the defendant, and she claimed she did not know Mr Tom. I paid N100,000 to secure the release of my workers. Blessing still maintained that she did not know Mr Tom and that she was the owner of the property,” he said.
Okeigwe also identified WhatsApp messages in which the defendant allegedly sent him photographs of the building as evidence of her claimed ownership.
He further told the court that he paid additional charges, including agency, legal and caution fees, in connection with the transaction.
The witness maintained that the alleged misrepresentation concerned the ownership of the property, insisting that the defendant collected ₦69,150,000 from him despite allegedly not being its actual owner.
He also alleged that the defendant collected money from him and another person for the same property.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case until October 26, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
