A prosecution witness has told a Lagos court how he allegedly paid social media influencer Blessing Nkiruka Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, N69.15 million for a five-year lease of a property she allegedly did not own.
The witness, Dr Onuoha Okeigwe, testified on Monday, October 12, 2026, during the continuation of Okoro’s trial before Justice R. A. Oshodi of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
Okeigwe, who appeared as the first prosecution witness (PW1), told the court that the transaction involved a property located at No. 1 Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, Lagos, which was allegedly presented to him as belonging to the defendant.
According to the prosecution, the defendant collected N69,150,000 from Hope Chiropractic Health Clinic Limited under the representation that she owned the property and had leased it to the company for five years.
Okoro 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.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The first count alleges that Okoro, on or about March 21, 2025, in Lagos, fraudulently induced Hope Chiropractic Health Clinic Limited to pay her N69,150,000 by falsely representing that the Lekki property belonged to her and was being 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.
Police intervention deepens dispute
While giving his testimony, Okeigwe reportedly recounted how he contacted the defendant after a dispute arose over the property.
He told the court that he informed Okoro of the development but that she allegedly dismissed his concerns, insisting that she owned the property and did not know a man identified as Mr Tom.
According to the witness, the situation escalated the following day when Mr Tom allegedly arrived at the premises with police officers and some of the clinic’s workers were arrested.
Okeigwe said he subsequently paid N100,000 to secure the release of the affected workers.
“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,” the witness told the court.
The testimony formed part of the prosecution’s account of the circumstances surrounding the disputed lease and the alleged representation of ownership.
WhatsApp messages, additional payments presented
Okeigwe also identified WhatsApp messages which, according to his testimony, contained photographs of the building sent by the defendant as evidence of her claimed ownership.
He further told the court that he paid additional charges connected with the transaction, including agency fees, legal fees and caution fees.
However, the witness maintained that the central issue was his allegation that Okoro was not the actual owner of the property despite receiving the N69,150,000 paid in connection with the five-year lease.
He also alleged that the defendant collected money from him and another person in relation to the same property.
The allegations are yet to be determined by the court, and Okoro remains entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case until October 26, 2026, for the continuation of the trial.