The Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has postponed its ruling on social media influencer Blessing Okoro's bail request. The decision will now be made on June 9. Blessing CEO, as she is known, is facing trial for an alleged ₦36 million fraud.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the relationship expert is in court over claims of fraud. The EFCC announced on X that Justice D.I. Dipeolu set the new date after hearing from both sides during the court session on Friday.
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is handling Blessing CEO's case. She faces two charges: obtaining money under false pretences and stealing.
During the bail hearing, Blessing's lawyer, P.I. Nwafuru, asked the court to grant bail on easy terms. But the prosecution lawyer, S.I. Suleiman, opposed this. He told the court that the EFCC had submitted a 28-paragraph counter-affidavit from the investigating officer, Bufa Regina Okangbe.
Mr Suleiman said that at one point, Blessing failed to respond to invitations from the EFCC. "We rely on all the depositions contained therein and the exhibits attached. At some point during the investigation, the defendant stopped honouring invitations extended to her by the Commission. We urge Your Lordship not to grant the request of the defence and instead order an accelerated hearing of the matter," he stated.
After listening to both sides, Justice Dipeolu postponed the decision on the bail request until June 9.
Meanwhile, the prosecution began its case by calling its first witness, EFCC investigator Bufa Regina Okangbe. She explained the findings from the investigation. Ms Okangbe said the EFCC received a complaint that Blessing collected money for a property transaction involving a house she did not own.
According to her, investigators did a Bank Verification Number (BVN) search on Blessing, got her banking records, and wrote to the Lagos State Land Bureau and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to check property ownership and gather more facts. The investigation showed that the property in question did not belong to Blessing.
The witness also said that Blessing was invited by the EFCC and made statements with her lawyer and husband present. Ms Okangbe told the court that records from the Lagos State Land Bureau identified the true owner of the property as Tunbosun Osobu.
She added that Mr Osobu later came to the investigators with his lawyer and son. He confirmed that he had leased the property to Blessing for three years, and the lease would expire in 2023 before it could be renewed in 2025.
The prosecution presented documents, including the original complaint, statements made by Blessing, tenancy documents, and bank records related to the deal. But Blessing's lawyer objected to admitting her statements. He argued that there was no proof that a legal practitioner was present when they were recorded and that no video recording of the process was shown in court.
In response, the prosecution argued that the law does not require a legal practitioner to be present to reject an extrajudicial statement. Mr Suleiman also said the bank statements had compliance certificates, as needed under Section 84 of the Evidence Act, and were properly submitted by the investigating officer.
Justice Dipeolu ruled quickly, dismissing the objections and accepting all the documents as evidence. The judge noted that Section 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act allows a suspect's statement to be taken in the presence of a legal practitioner of their choice or a representative from the Legal Aid Council.
Continuing her testimony, Ms Okangbe told the court that the complainant paid ₦36 million to Blessing through a company account for leasing a property at No. 1B Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, Lagos. She said ₦25 million was paid into Blessing's GTBank account, while another ₦11 million went into her Access Bank account.
According to the witness, Blessing's bank records showed other transfers, including ₦8 million to Mr and Mrs Osobu, ₦1.9 million to Beauty City by Lekki, ₦11 million to Lina Uzoma Okoro, and ₦15 million to Kenneth Emeka Onuora.
When asked about the case, the witness stated that the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as the prosecution, was not involved in any settlement arrangement between Blessing and the complainant. She also said she did not know about any ₦24 million refund that Blessing allegedly made, as claimed by the defence.
Ms Okangbe further testified that the complainant had started renovations on the property before the owner came and evicted them. The court then adjourned until June 9 for a ruling on the bail application and until June 22, 2026, for the continuation of the trial.
The EFCC is prosecuting the controversial influencer for allegedly fraudulently obtaining ₦36 million in 2024 by claiming she could secure a lease for a luxury duplex in Lekki, Lagos. Her lawyer told the court that ₦24 million has been refunded, but the case is still ongoing. She was arraigned on May 15 before the Federal High Court.
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