Social media personality says she exploited discovery of a non-cancerous breast lump to solicit financial assistance; admission comes amid EFCC fraud trials
Social media personality, Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, has admitted deliberately claiming that she had 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, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in a video shared on Thursday.
Blessing CEO said she resorted to the claim because of financial pressure and the embarrassment she feared would arise from an ongoing dispute involving a man identified as Dr Onuoha Okeigwe.
She explained that a medical examination had revealed a lump in her breast but that the finding was not cancerous. However, she admitted presenting it to the public as cancer to generate sympathy and receive financial assistance.
“The pressure was too much. So what did I do? That was where the cancer drama came in. And because of the pressure. I saw this embarrassment coming. I said to myself, what stunt can I pull? What stunts can I pull? Then I pulled out the cancer,” she said.
She further admitted that she knowingly exploited the medical finding to solicit donations without directly asking the public for money.
“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.
“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 said.
Explaining how the fundraising started, Blessing CEO said she initially created the impression that she was considering selling some of her personal belongings, including her car and house.
She said members of the public subsequently encouraged her to share her bank details so they could support her, after which donations began coming in from different people in varying amounts.
According to her, the donations stopped after VeryDarkMan questioned her cancer claims and demanded evidence to support her appeal for financial assistance.
She said the public donations were suspended immediately after the activist released a video challenging her claims, prompting her to consider how to manage the situation.
“When I saw the video, immediately he (VeryDarkMan) made that video, the donation stopped. The donation paused. So I’m like, what do I do? What do I do? That was where the whole orchestration and resolving and all that stuff came,” she said.
She added that she was not proud of her actions.
The admission marks a reversal of her earlier position during the controversy, which began in March after she announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and appealed for financial support for treatment.
In an interview with content creator Egungun of Lagos in April, Blessing CEO admitted receiving ₦13m in donations but maintained that she owed nobody an apology.
She had attributed the confusion surrounding her diagnosis to possible miscommunication and said she was still seeking clarification from her doctors.
However, the Delta State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association subsequently disowned a histology report circulated in connection with her claims, saying the document had originally been issued to another patient, Deborah Mbara, and not Blessing CEO.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission later arraigned her on a six-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and other alleged offences involving the ₦13m raised from members of the public.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The EFCC alleged that she used a falsified medical report to solicit donations, but the allegations remain subject to determination by the court.
Blessing CEO Faces Two Other EFCC Fraud Cases
The cancer-related case is one of three fraud cases instituted against Blessing CEO by the EFCC.
In a separate case, she was arraigned over an alleged ₦36m fraud involving a property transaction. She secured bail of ₦10m in the matter in June.
She is also standing trial over an alleged ₦69.15m fraud involving a five-year lease of a property in Lekki, Lagos, which the EFCC alleged she falsely presented as belonging to her.
The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja granted her ₦20m bail in the case in July.
During the continuation of the trial on October 26, a prosecution witness, Dr Onuoha Okeigwe, told the court that Blessing CEO allegedly misrepresented herself as the owner of the property before collecting the money.
He also disclosed that he had instituted a separate civil suit to recover more than ₦100m allegedly spent on 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.