A prosecution witness in the alleged N69.15 million fraud trial of social media influencer Blessing Nkiruka, aka Blessing CEO, says he paid the influencer for a five-year lease of a property she allegedly did not own.
The witness, Onuoha Okeigwe, testified on Monday before Justice R. A. Oshodi of the Lagos Special Offences Court, Ikeja Division.
Mr Okeigwe told the court that he paid N69,150,000 to lease a property at No. 1 Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, after the defendant allegedly represented herself as its owner.
The Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the EFCC arraigned Ms Nkiruka on June 9, 2026, on two counts bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing, involving N69,150,000.
The commission said the alleged offence is contrary to Section 1(2) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.
Ms Nkiruka pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to her.
The witness told the court that he contacted the defendant, who allegedly dismissed his concerns, noting that the following day, a man identified as Mr Tom reportedly arrived with police officers and arrested some of the workers.
“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,” Mr Okeigwe stated.
The witness also identified WhatsApp messages in which the defendant allegedly sent photographs of the building as evidence of her ownership.
According to the witness, he paid the defendant additional charges, including agency, legal and caution fees.
Mr Okeigwe, however, noted that the alleged misrepresentation was that the defendant was not the actual owner of the property, despite collecting N69,150,000 from him.
He added that Ms Nkiruka collected money from him and another victim for the same property.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case until October 26, 2026, to continue the trial.