The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has postponed its decision on the bail request filed by social media personality Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, popularly known as Blessing CEO, who is facing trial over an alleged N36 million fraud case.
Justice D.I. Dipeolu fixed June 9, 2026, for the ruling after hearing arguments from both the defence and prosecution during proceedings held on Friday.
Blessing CEO is being prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a two-count charge involving alleged obtaining of money under false pretences and theft amounting to N36 million.
During the hearing, defence counsel P.I. Nwafuru appealed to the court to grant his client bail under favourable conditions.
However, the EFCC opposed the request through its counsel, S.I. Suleiman, who informed the court that the agency had already filed a detailed counter-affidavit against the application.
The prosecution argued that during the investigation, the defendant allegedly stopped responding to invitations issued by the anti-graft agency.
Based on that development, the EFCC urged the court to reject the bail application and instead allow the case to proceed quickly.
Before arguments on bail were concluded, the prosecution called its first witness, EFCC investigator Bufa Regina Okangbe, who gave evidence on the findings of the agency's investigation.
According to the witness, the EFCC began investigating after receiving a petition alleging that the defendant collected money from a complainant for a property transaction involving a building she did not own.
She explained that investigators carried out a Bank Verification Number search, which revealed several bank accounts linked to the defendant.
The witness told the court that the commission subsequently contacted various banks and also wrote to the Lagos State Land Bureau to verify ownership of the property in dispute.
In addition, inquiries were sent to the Corporate Affairs Commission regarding a company linked to the defendant, Break or Makeup Limited.
Okangbe stated that after reviewing the financial records, the defendant was invited for questioning and confronted with transactions connected to the complainant.
She added that statements were taken from the defendant in the presence of her husband and legal representative.
The investigator further informed the court that records obtained from the Lagos State Land Bureau showed that the property was not registered in the defendant's name but belonged to Tunbosun Osobu.
According to her testimony, Osobu later appeared before investigators with his lawyer and son and confirmed that he had leased the property to the defendant for three years.
She said the lease expired in 2023 before being renewed in 2025.
The witness also told the court that the complainant provided investigators with documents, including a lease agreement allegedly signed with the defendant and a tenancy acquisition form connected to the transaction.
During the proceedings, the prosecution sought to tender several documents, including the original petition, statements made by the defendant, tenancy records, and bank statements belonging to both the complainant and the defendant.
The defence challenged the admissibility of some of the documents, particularly the statements made by the defendant, arguing that there was no indication that a lawyer was present when the statements were recorded.
The defence also questioned the absence of a video recording of the statement-taking process.
The prosecution disagreed, maintaining that the law does not automatically invalidate such statements where a legal practitioner is not physically present, provided legal requirements have been met.
After considering the arguments from both sides, Justice Dipeolu dismissed the objections and admitted the documents as evidence.
The judge referred to provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, which permit statements to be taken in the presence of a legal practitioner, a Legal Aid representative, a civil society representative, or another person chosen by the suspect.
Continuing her evidence, Okangbe told the court that the complainant paid a total of N36 million through a company account to the defendant for the lease of a property located in Lekki, Lagos.
She said N25 million was paid into the defendant’s GTBank account, while another N11 million was transferred into her Access Bank account.
The witness also outlined several transactions allegedly traced from the defendant’s accounts after the payments were received.
According to the investigation, funds were transferred to various individuals and entities, including payments allegedly made to members of the Osobu family, the defendant’s mother, and another individual identified as Kenneth Emeka Onuora.
During cross-examination, Okangbe stated that the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is prosecuting the case, was not involved in any settlement arrangement that may have existed between the defendant and the complainant.
She further said she was unaware of any refund of N24 million allegedly made by the defendant, a claim earlier raised by the defence team.
The witness also told the court that the complainant had already begun renovation work on the property before the owner allegedly appeared and removed them from the premises.
Following the day's proceedings, Justice Dipeolu adjourned the matter until June 9, 2026, for the ruling on the bail application, while the substantive trial is expected to continue on June 22, 2026.
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