Witness claims Blessing CEO lied about property ownership

A witness for the prosecution, Dr Onuoha Okeigwe, told a Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Monday that social media influencer Blessing Nkiruka Okoro, known as Blessing CEO, allegedly lied about owning a property for which he paid N69.15 million.

Okeigwe made this claim during cross-examination by the defence lawyer as Blessing CEO's trial continued before Justice Rahman Oshodi.

The witness, who was the first to testify for the prosecution, said he believed Blessing CEO’s claims made through WhatsApp chats and face-to-face meetings before he paid for the property.

When asked about the documents related to the transaction, Okeigwe explained that he is a chiropractor, not a lawyer, and that he did not fully understand legal terms.

Still, he maintained that he had evidence to back up his claim that Blessing CEO falsely said she owned the property.

Okeigwe also stated that their communications happened both before and after he made the payment.

"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.

The witness revealed that he had also filed a separate civil suit against Blessing CEO to get back money he spent on renovating the property.

He mentioned that he spent over N100 million to renovate it to meet the standards of the medical facility he wanted to set up there.

Okeigwe explained that the criminal case was about the N69.15 million he allegedly paid for the property, while the civil suit was about recovering renovation costs and damages.

When asked if Blessing CEO had told him through WhatsApp that she owned the property, he said the claims went beyond their online chats.

He added that he relied on documents from the Corporate Affairs Commission and other materials he provided to the court to support his claim.

Okeigwe disagreed with the defense lawyer's claim that Exhibit C was his only evidence, insisting that he had provided more evidence.

Blessing CEO was charged by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on June 9, 2026, with two counts of obtaining money under false pretenses and stealing involving N69,150,000.

She pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Justice Oshodi has postponed the case until January 12, 2027, for the prosecution to bring more witnesses.