Social media influencer Blessing Nkiruka, widely known as Blessing CEO, allegedly deceived a businessman into paying N69.15 million for a five-year lease of a Lekki property she did not own, a prosecution witness told a Lagos court.
Dr. Onuoha Okeigwe stated that he paid the money after the influencer allegedly presented the property at No. 1 Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, as hers.
However, the deal took a troubling turn when a man identified as Mr. Tom reportedly showed up with police officers and arrested some of the workers at the premises.
“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,” Okeigwe told the court.
The witness, who gave evidence as the first prosecution witness, stated that he possessed WhatsApp messages in which Blessing CEO is said to have sent him photos of the building as proof that she owned it.
He added that he made further payments for agency, legal, and caution fees as part of the transaction.
Okeigwe also claimed that the influencer took money from another individual for the same property, maintaining that the key issue was her supposed assertion of ownership despite not being the true owner.
These allegations underpin a two-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, which accuses Blessing CEO of obtaining money by false pretense and stealing N69.15 million.
The EFCC claimed that on or around March 21, 2025, she persuaded Hope Chiropractic Health Clinic Limited to release the money by falsely claiming that she owned the Lekki property and was leasing it to the company for five years.
Blessing CEO was arraigned on June 9, 2026, and entered a plea of not guilty to the charges.
Justice R. A. Oshodi of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, adjourned the matter until October 26, 2026, for the trial to continue.
