Social media personality Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, has admitted faking a breast cancer diagnosis to attract donations from Nigerians.
She made the confession during an interview with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
In the interview, Blessing CEO said financial pressure pushed her to make the false claim.
She explained that a medical check-up had detected a lump in her breast. However, doctors did not identify it as cancerous.
Rather than disclose the actual result, she said she presented the lump as cancerous to gain public sympathy.
“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.
“So I took advantage of that, came to the media, cried for help and said that the lump was cancerous. I played an emotional game. I wanted funds, but I didn’t come out directly to ask for funds,” she added.
How the fundraising started
Blessing CEO said she initially suggested that she might sell her personal belongings.
These included her car and house. She said the comments prompted fans to encourage her to share her bank details.
Donations soon began arriving from members of the public.
However, she said the contributions stopped after VeryDarkMan questioned her cancer claims. He also demanded medical evidence to support her fundraising appeal.
“When I saw the video, immediately he (VeryDarkMan) made that video, the donation stopped. The donation paused,” she said.
She also admitted that she was not proud of her actions.
EFCC arraigned her over alleged ₦13m fraud
The admission marks a major reversal of her earlier position.
In March, Blessing CEO announced that she had breast cancer and appealed for financial support. During an April interview with content creator Egungun of Lagos, she admitted receiving ₦13m in donations.
At the time, she maintained that she owed nobody an apology. She also blamed possible miscommunication for the confusion surrounding her diagnosis.
The Delta State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association later disowned a histology report linked to her cancer claims. The association said the report belonged to another patient, Deborah Mbara.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission subsequently arraigned Blessing CEO on six counts. The charges include obtaining money by false pretence and forgery.
The commission alleged that she used a falsified medical report to solicit ₦13m from the public. She pleaded not guilty, and the allegations remain before the court.
Other fraud cases involving Blessing CEO
The cancer-related case is one of three fraud cases involving the social media personality.
In another case, the EFCC accused her of an alleged ₦36m fraud involving a property transaction. She secured bail of ₦10m in June.
She also faces charges over an alleged ₦69.15m property lease transaction involving a property in Lekki, Lagos.
The Lagos State Special Offences Court granted her ₦20m bail in that case in July.
During proceedings on October 26, prosecution witness Dr Onuoha Okeigwe accused her of misrepresenting herself as the property owner before collecting money.
The court adjourned the case until January 12, 2027, for further prosecution witnesses.
Blessing CEO has pleaded not guilty to the separate fraud charges. She was released from the Kirikiri Correctional Centre in late October.
