A prosecution witness has accused social media influencer Blessing Nkiruka Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, of falsely claiming ownership of a property to obtain N69.15m from him.
The witness, Dr Onuoha Okeigwe, made the allegation on Monday during cross-examination at the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja, where Blessing CEO is standing trial for alleged fraud and stealing.
Okeigwe, the prosecution’s first witness, told the court presided over by Justice Rahman Oshodi that he relied on the defendant’s representations during WhatsApp conversations and physical interactions before paying for the property.
“Blessing presented herself, claiming to be the owner of the property, and falsely collected money from me. She impersonated the owner of the property,” he said.
Responding to questions about the transaction documents, the witness said he was a doctor of chiropractic, not a lawyer, and did not understand legal terminology.
He, however, insisted that he had presented evidence to support his allegation that the defendant misrepresented her ownership of the property.
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Okeigwe said their communications continued both before and after the payment, adding that his claim was supported by WhatsApp conversations, Corporate Affairs Commission documents and other materials tendered before the court.
He also disagreed with the defence counsel’s suggestion that Exhibit C was the only evidence he had presented, insisting that other documents had been submitted in support of his case.
The witness further disclosed that he had instituted a separate civil suit against Blessing CEO to recover money spent renovating the property.
According to him, he spent more than N100m renovating the building to meet the requirements of a medical facility he intended to establish there.
He explained that the criminal case concerned the N69.15m allegedly paid for the property, while the civil suit sought to recover the renovation expenses and damages.
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 of obtaining money by false pretence and stealing involving N69,150,000.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case until January 12, 2027, for the prosecution to call additional witnesses.
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