News
Alleged N36m Fraud: Court Reserves Ruling On Blessing CEO’s Bail Application Till June 9
Alleged N36m Fraud: Court Reserves Ruling On Blessing CEO’s Bail Application Till June 9
Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, June 5, 2026, reserved ruling until June 9, 2026, on the bail application filed by social media influencer, Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, (a.k.a Blessing CEO) who is standing trial over an alleged N36 million fraud.
The defendant is facing a two-count charge filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and stealing to the tune of N36 million.
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During the hearing of the bail application, counsel to the defendant, P.I. Nwafuru, urged the court to grant his client bail on the most liberal terms.
Opposing the application, prosecution counsel, S.I. Suleiman, informed the court that the EFCC had filed a 28-paragraph counter-affidavit deposed to by the investigating officer, Bufa Regina Okangbe, on May 29, 2026.
“We rely on all the depositions contained therein and the exhibits attached. At some point during the course of 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,” Suleiman submitted.
After listening to arguments from both parties, Justice Dipeolu reserved ruling on the bail application until June 9, 2026.
Earlier in the proceedings, the prosecution presented its first witness, Bufa Regina Okangbe, an investigator with the EFCC. She narrated a trail of bank transactions, property records, and witness statements that allegedly revealed how the defendant received N36 million from the petitioner for a property she did not own.
According to Okangbe, the Commission received a petition which was assigned to her team for investigation. She stated that a Bank Verification Number (BVN) search conducted on the defendant revealed several bank accounts linked to her.
“Following this, letters of investigation were sent to the banks, while another letter was forwarded to the Lagos State Land Bureau to determine whether the property belonged to the defendant.
“The Commission also wrote to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) regarding the defendant’s company, Break or Makeup Limited.
“After analysing the defendant’s statements of account, she was invited to the Commission’s office and confronted with transactions traced to her and the petitioner.”
The witness further testified that the defendant made statements under caution in the presence of her lawyer and husband, admitting that the petitioner paid her the sum of N30 million.
Okangbe told the court that the response from the Lagos State Land Bureau revealed that the property in question did not belong to the defendant but to one Mr. Tunbosun Osobu.
“The Commission invited Mr. Osobu, who appeared with his lawyer and son. He confirmed that he had leased the property to the defendant for three years and that the lease expired in 2023 before it was renewed in 2025,” she stated.
The witness also informed the court that the petitioner submitted the lease agreement executed between the petitioner and the defendant, along with a tenancy acquisition form.
During the proceedings, prosecution counsel Suleiman sought to tender several documents through the witness, including the petition dated February 18, 2025; statements made by the defendant on December 10, 11, 12, and 16, 2025; the tenancy acquisition form submitted by the petitioner’s lawyer; the petitioner’s Zenith Bank statement of account in the name of Pipes and Barrel Limited; and the defendant’s GTBank and Access Bank statements.
However, defence counsel P.I. Nwafuru objected to the admissibility of the defendant’s statements, arguing that there was no endorsement indicating the presence of a legal practitioner during the recording of the statements. He also contended that no video recording of the statement-taking process had been produced before the court.
Fraud
In response, Suleiman argued that the absence of a legal practitioner did not render an extra-judicial statement inadmissible.
“The law only requires the presence of a legal practitioner or any person chosen by the defendant. The statements are very key to this matter, and we urge My Lord to admit them in evidence,” he submitted.
On the issue of the bank statements, Suleiman maintained that all statements of account were accompanied by certificates of identification in compliance with Section 84 of the Evidence Act.
“The witness through whom the statements of account are being tendered is the investigating officer in this case, and the law recognises such authority as an exception to the hearsay rule,” he added.
In his ruling, Justice Dipeolu overruled the objections and admitted the documents into evidence as exhibits.
The judge held that: “Section 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) clearly provides that a suspect’s statement may be taken in the presence of a legal practitioner of his or her choice, a representative of the Legal Aid Council, a representative of a civil society organisation, or any other person chosen by the suspect.”
Continuing her testimony, Okangbe stated that the petitioner, through the company account, paid a total sum of N36 million to the defendant.
According to her, N25 million was transferred into the defendant’s GTBank account, while an additional N11 million was paid into her Access Bank account for the lease of a property located at No. 1B Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, Lagos.
She further testified that an analysis of the defendant’s bank accounts revealed several subsequent transfers, including N8 million to Mr. and Mrs. Osobu, N1.9 million to Beauty City by Lekki, N11 million to Lina Uzoma Okoro, the defendant’s mother, and N15 million to Kenneth Emeka Onuora.
Under cross-examination, the witness stated that the Federal Republic of Nigeria, being the petitioner in the criminal proceedings, was not privy to any settlement arrangement allegedly entered into between the defendant and the petitioner.
She also informed the court that she was unaware of any attempt by the defendant to refund N24 million to the petitioner, as earlier claimed by the defence.
According to the witness, the petitioner had already commenced renovation work on the property before the owner, Mr. Tunbosun Osobu, allegedly appeared and ejected them from the premises.
Justice Dipeolu subsequently adjourned the matter until June 9, 2026 for ruling on bail application and June 22, 2026, for continuation of trial. Eereporter.com
Ibom Air To Commence Operations From New Ultramodern Terminal On 14th June
Uyo, Nigeria – Ibom Air is pleased to announce that effective 14 June 2026, all its flight operations will be conducted from the new ultramodern terminal at Victor Attah International Airport.
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The new terminal offers enhanced passenger comfort, improved operational efficiency, and modern facilities designed to provide a seamless travel experience from check-in to boarding and arrival.
Passengers are advised to take note of this change and ensure they proceed to the new terminal for all Ibom Air flights from the effective date.
Ibom Air
This transition marks another significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to enhance air travel and deliver world-class service to passengers.
For further information, passengers are encouraged to follow Ibom Air’s official communication channels @ibomairlines, for updates and travel advisories.
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Insecurity: IG Orders Deployment Of DIGs To Respective Zones By June 15
The Inspector-General of Police (IG), Olatunji Disu, has ordered the deployment of Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) to their respective zones with effect from June 15.
Mr Disu gave the order on Tuesday in Abuja during his conference with the strategic police managers, consisting officers from the rank of commissioners of police (CPs).
The IG said the order aimed to strengthen supervision, improve operational coordination, enhance accountability and provide strategic oversight of policing activities within their zones.
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He said the DIGs were expected to work closely with the Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs), and CPs in their various zones to ensure that operational directives were effectively implemented and measurable results achieved.
”Let me make it clear that this deployment is not ceremonial; it is intended to bring leadership closer to the field, improve response mechanism and ensure that emergency reports receive prompts attention,” he said.
Mr Disu also directed CPs to immediately establish what he termed ”handshake” patrol to ensure that criminals were stopped from committing an offence in one state and escaping to another.
He said the practice of committing crime in one state and escaping to another must be distorted through deliberate collaboration and joint operational planning.
”Accordingly, CPs are to establish coordinated patrols along major entries and exit routes of their various states. Intelligence sharing mechanisms should be strengthened, operational communication channels kept open at all times and joint responses initiated whenever circumstances requires.
”I expect CPs to maintain direct communications with their counterparts in their neighbouring states and to jointly review security deployments on regular basis,” he said.
The IG said security must be approached from the original rather than purely territorial perspective.
He urged the senior officers to maintain professional and constructive engagement with the media, adding that the force’s relationship with the media should not be limited to announcing arrest or personal successes.
”I also wish to address your relationship with the media because public perception can influence confidence in our institution as well as our operational outcome.
”While our primary responsibility remains for intervention and reinforcement, we must recognise the importance of effective communication in shaping public understanding of our efforts.
”I therefore, encourage you to maintain a professional and constructive engagement with the media; our relationship should not be limited to announcing arrest or personal successes. Your relationship with the media must also, involve timely clarification of facts and information,” he said.
Police
Mr Disu added that the force would not surrender information space to criminals or individuals seeking to undermine public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.
According to him, also important is the need to deepen our commitment to community policing that may reiterate a fundamental truth.
He said, “The police cannot effectively secure Nigeria without the active support and partnership of the communities.”
He emphasised that community policing was not a slogan or a programme that existed only on paper, but a practical policing philosophy.
The IG added, “The philosophy recognises that security is best achieved when enforcement agencies go into genuine partnership with citizens.”
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Welfare For Welfare: NAF, UBA Partner To Strengthen Force Readiness
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, has reaffirmed the Nigerian Air Force’s (NAF) commitment to leveraging strategic partnerships to enhance personnel welfare, strengthen operational readiness and advance national development.
The CAS stated this while receiving the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr Oliver Alawuba, and members of the bank’s Executive Management Team during a courtesy visit to Headquarters Nigerian Air Force, Abuja.
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The engagement reflected the shared recognition that the welfare of personnel remains a vital component of combat effectiveness and mission success.
Speaking during the visit, Air Marshal Aneke emphasized that security and economic prosperity are mutually reinforcing, noting that the NAF remains dedicated to providing the secure environment necessary for businesses and citizens to thrive. He commended UBA’s transformation into “Africa’s Global Bank” and expressed the Service’s readiness to explore collaborative initiatives in affordable housing, mortgage financing and other tailored financial solutions aimed at improving the welfare and preparedness of NAF personnel.
The CAS also lauded the UBA Foundation for its impactful corporate social responsibility programmes, particularly those benefiting military families and vulnerable communities. He further encouraged the bank to extend its “Read Africa” initiative to NAF schools and explore support for NAF medical facilities, noting that such interventions would yield lasting benefits for both military personnel and surrounding civilian populations.
Welfare For Welfare
Earlier, Mr Oliver Alawuba conveyed the goodwill of the Chairman of UBA and commended the Nigerian Air Force for its unwavering sacrifices in safeguarding Nigeria’s peace, security and territorial integrity. He highlighted the longstanding relationship between UBA and the NAF and expressed the bank’s desire to deepen the partnership through mortgage and housing solutions, vehicle financing, support for vendors and contractors, educational assistance programmes and enhanced salary administration services for personnel.
He further reaffirmed UBA’s commitment to expanding its corporate social responsibility interventions in support of military communities.
The visit featured interactive discussions between members of the UBA Executive Management Team and Branch Chiefs at Headquarters NAF on areas of mutual interest and collaboration, culminating in the exchange of souvenirs and a group photograph to commemorate the occasion.
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