Blessing CEO Admits Faking Cancer Diagnosis to Raise Donations

Social media personality, Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, has admitted that she falsely claimed to have breast cancer to attract financial donations from members of the public.

She made the admission during an interview with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, in a video shared on Thursday.

Blessing CEO said she fabricated the cancer claim while facing financial pressure linked to an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) dispute involving a man identified as Dr Onuoha Okeigwe.

Admits Using Breast Lump to Seek Donations

According to her, a medical examination had earlier revealed a lump in her breast, but the finding was not cancerous.

She admitted that she used the discovery to mislead the public into believing she had cancer because she wanted financial assistance.

“Honestly, I do not have cancer. The truth is, I had gone for a check-up a few months ago and they found a lump on my breast, but it was not cancerous,” she said.

She explained that she initially gave the impression that she might sell personal belongings, including her car and house, before members of the public encouraged her to share her bank details to receive financial support.

She said donations began coming in from different people but stopped after VeryDarkMan publicly questioned her claims and demanded evidence to support the fundraising appeal.

Blessing CEO said she was not proud of her actions and acknowledged that she had deliberately used an emotional appeal to obtain money.

Earlier Cancer Claims and N13m Donations

The latest admission reverses her earlier position during a controversy that began in March, when she announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and appealed for financial assistance for treatment.

In an April interview with content creator Egungun of Lagos, she acknowledged receiving N13m in donations but insisted at the time that she owed nobody an apology.

She had previously attributed the confusion surrounding her diagnosis to possible miscommunication and said she was seeking clarification from her doctors.

However, the Delta State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association later disowned a histology report circulated in connection with her claims, stating that the document had originally been issued to another patient, Deborah Mbara.

EFCC Fraud Charges and Ongoing Trials

The EFCC subsequently arraigned Blessing CEO on a six-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and other alleged offences involving N13m raised from members of the public.

The commission alleged that she used a falsified medical report to solicit donations. She pleaded not guilty to the charges, which remain before the court.

The cancer-related case is one of three fraud cases instituted against her by the EFCC.

In a separate matter, she was arraigned over an alleged N36m fraud involving a property transaction and secured bail of N10m in June.

She is also facing trial over an alleged N69.15m fraud involving a five-year lease of a property in Lekki, Lagos, which the EFCC alleged she falsely presented as her own.

The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja granted her N20m bail in that case in July.

During proceedings on October 26, a prosecution witness, Dr Onuoha Okeigwe, told the court that Blessing CEO allegedly misrepresented herself as the property owner before collecting the money.

Okeigwe maintained during cross-examination that he relied on her representations, including WhatsApp conversations and other documents, before making the payment. He also said he had filed a separate civil suit to recover more than N100m allegedly spent renovating the property.

The criminal case was adjourned until January 12, 2027, for the prosecution to call additional witnesses. Blessing CEO has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the separate fraud cases.

She was released from custody in late October after spending months at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre. Her detention also coincided with the death of her nine-year-old son, Bryan, in June.

Punch Newspapers