The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Blessing CEO on two counts of obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.
The Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has reserved ruling until 9 June on the bail application filed by social media influencer, Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO.
The EFCC, in a statement on X, stated that Justice D.I. Dipeolu fixed the date after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defence during proceedings on Friday.
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Blessing CEO on two counts of obtaining money by false pretence and stealing.
Arguing the bail application, defence counsel, P.I. Nwafuru, urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms.
The application, however, was opposed by prosecuting counsel, S.I. Suleiman, who informed the court that the EFCC had filed a 28-paragraph counter-affidavit deposed to by the investigating officer, Bufa Regina Okangbe.
Mr Suleiman told the court that the defendant had, at a point during the investigation, failed to honour invitations extended by the anti-graft agency.
“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 accede to the request of the defence and instead order an accelerated hearing of the matter,” he said.
After hearing from both parties, Justice Dipeolu reserved judgment on the application until 9 June.
Meanwhile, the prosecution opened its case with the testimony of its first witness, EFCC investigator Bufa Regina Okangbe, who detailed the commission’s findings.
Ms Okangbe told the court that the EFCC received a petition alleging that the defendant collected money from a complainant for a property transaction involving a house she did not own.
According to her, investigators conducted a Bank Verification Number (BVN) search on the defendant, obtained her banking records, and wrote to the Lagos State Land Bureau and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as part of efforts to verify ownership of the property and establish relevant facts.
She said the investigation revealed that the disputed property did not belong to the defendant.
The witness further testified that the defendant was invited by the Commission and made statements under caution in the presence of her lawyer and husband.
Ms Okangbe told the court that records obtained from the Lagos State Land Bureau identified the owner of the property as Tunbosun Osobu.
She added that Mr Osobu later appeared before investigators with his lawyer and son and confirmed that he had leased the property to the defendant for three years, with the tenancy expiring in 2023 before being renewed in 2025.
The witness also stated that documents submitted by the complainant included a lease agreement allegedly executed with the defendant and a tenancy acquisition form.
During the proceedings, the prosecution sought to tender several documents, including the original petition, statements made by the defendant, tenancy documents and bank records linked to the transaction.
However, defence counsel objected to the admissibility of the defendant’s statements, arguing that there was no endorsement indicating the presence of a legal practitioner when they were recorded and that no video recording of the process had been presented before the court.
Responding, the prosecution argued that the law did not make the absence of a legal practitioner sufficient grounds to reject an extrajudicial statement.
Mr Suleiman further maintained that the bank statements were accompanied by certificates of compliance, as required under Section 84 of the Evidence Act, and were properly tendered by the investigating officer.
In a brief ruling, Justice Dipeolu dismissed the objections and admitted all the documents into evidence.
The judge held that Section 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act permits a suspect’s statement to be taken in the presence of a legal practitioner of the suspect’s choice, a representative of the Legal Aid Council, a civil society representative or any other person chosen by the suspect.
Continuing her testimony, Ms Okangbe told the court that the complainant paid a total of N36 million to the defendant through a company account for the lease of a property located at No. 1B Tunbosun Osobu Street, 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.
According to the witness, an analysis of the defendant’s bank records revealed subsequent transfers, including N8 million to Mr and Mrs Osobu, N1.9 million to Beauty City by Lekki, N11 million to Lina Uzoma Okoro and N15 million to Kenneth Emeka Onuora.
Under cross-examination, the witness said the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as the prosecuting authority, was not a party to any settlement arrangement allegedly entered into between the defendant and the complainant.
She also stated that she was unaware of any N24 million refund allegedly made by the defendant, as claimed by the defence.
Ms Okangbe further testified that the complainant had commenced renovation work on the property before the owner allegedly appeared and evicted them from the premises.
The matter was subsequently adjourned until 9 June for a ruling on the bail application and until 22 June 2026 for the continuation of the trial.
