A Federal High Court in Lagos has ruled in favor of Blessing Okoro, a relationship expert widely known as Blessing CEO, by granting a cost against Mrs. Folashade Samuels, a nominal complainant and the 4th respondent in Okoro’s lawsuit against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and others. The legal action stems from Okoro’s alleged illegal detention in 2022.
In the fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed in February, Blessing CEO sought N75 million in damages for her purported unlawful detention, which she claimed was instigated by Mrs. Samuels to tarnish her reputation. Okoro, represented by her lawyer Mr. Prince Nwafuru, contested the legality of her arrest on December 15, 2022, following a second petition by Mrs. Samuels, despite having been granted administrative bail earlier on a similar complaint.
Okoro argued that the subsequent petition leading to her arrest was ill-advised, based on false information, and made in bad faith. She further contended that Mrs. Samuels had approached the Police in Abuja after feeling dissatisfied with the administrative bail granted at Panti. Okoro sought restraining injunctions against the Police, alleging that the entire episode was orchestrated to embarrass her.
During a recent court session on November 8, Mrs. Folashade’s lawyer, Mr. H. Eromosele, informed the court of a defense filing delay and applied for leave to regularize it. However, Okoro’s lawyer objected, citing the respondent’s failure to pay the prescribed default fee according to court rules. In response, Justice A. Lewia-Allagoa imposed a cost of N50,000 against Mrs. Folashade and adjourned the matter until December 5, 2023, for further hearing.
