The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday brought self-acclaimed relationship therapist Okoro Blessing Nkiruka, popularly known as Blessing CEO, before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, over an alleged ₦13 million fraud.
She was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the anti-graft agency before Justice Yelim Bogoro on a six-count charge involving alleged obtaining of money by false pretence and retaining proceeds suspected to have been derived from unlawful activities.
According to the EFCC, the case followed petitions from several individuals and organisations, including the Nigeria Cancer Society. The Commission alleged that Blessing CEO used her social media platforms to solicit financial support after claiming she was suffering from Stage 4 breast cancer and needed funds for treatment.
Investigators alleged that members of the public donated money based on those claims but later discovered that the medical document presented to support the appeal was allegedly forged. The EFCC further claimed that the donations, amounting to about ₦13 million, were obtained through deception and retained by the defendant.
The fresh case increases to three the number of criminal matters currently pending against Blessing CEO in different courts across Lagos.
On June 9, 2026, she was also arraigned before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, over an alleged ₦69.15 million fraud involving a property transaction. The EFCC accused her of falsely presenting herself as the owner of a property at No. 1 Tunbosun Osobu Street, Lekki, and collecting ₦69.15 million from Hope Chiropractic Health Clinic Limited for a five-year lease before allegedly converting the money to personal use.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges, after which the court ordered that she remain in EFCC custody pending further proceedings. The matter was adjourned until July 16, 2026, for the hearing of her bail application and the commencement of trial.
In a separate case, Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi had earlier granted her bail in the sum of ₦10 million with two sureties over an alleged ₦36 million property fraud.
During the proceedings, EFCC counsel Suleiman Suleiman opposed a request for her to remain in the Commission’s custody, stating that the agency’s detention facilities were already overcrowded. Consequently, the court ordered that she be remanded in a correctional facility until she fulfils her bail conditions.
The trial in that matter has been adjourned until June 22, 2026, for continuation.
