Blessing CEO Confesses to Faking Breast Cancer Diagnosis to Raise Funds

Social media personality, Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, has admitted to deliberately lying about having breast cancer in order to solicit financial donations from members of the public.
​Okoro made the confession during an interview with social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, in a video shared on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
​She explained that the fabrication was driven by intense financial pressure stemming from an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) dispute involving a complainant identified as Dr. Onuoha Okeigwe.
​“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.
​Blessing CEO clarified that while a medical check-up had revealed a lump in her breast, doctors confirmed it was not cancerous. She admitted taking advantage of the medical finding to elicit public sympathy and raise 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 confessed.
​Recounting how the fundraising began, Okoro said she initially created the impression that she was considering selling her car and house, which prompted followers to urge her to share her bank details for donations. According to her, contributions poured in until VeryDarkMan publicly questioned her claims and demanded medical evidence.
​“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, adding that she was not proud of her actions.
​Background and Ongoing EFCC Trials
​Thursday’s confession marks a sharp reversal from her earlier stance when the controversy broke in March 2026, as well as an April interview with content creator Egungun of Lagos, in which she acknowledged receiving N13 million in donations but insisted she owed nobody an apology.
​Her claims had previously collapsed after the Delta State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) disowned a histology report circulated in connection with her appeal, stating that the document had originally been issued to another patient, Deborah Mbara.
​The EFCC subsequently arraigned Okoro on a six-count charge bordering on obtaining N13 million by false pretence and forgery—charges to which she pleaded not guilty and which remain pending before the court.
​The cancer fundraising case is one of three fraud trials instituted against her by the anti-graft agency:
​Alleged N36m Property Fraud: Arraigned in June 2026 over an alleged N36 million property transaction fraud, she was granted N10 million bail.
​Alleged N69.15m Lekki Lease Fraud: Standing trial at the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja over an alleged N69.15 million fraud involving a five-year lease of a Lekki property she allegedly claimed to own, she secured N20 million bail in July. During resumed proceedings on October 26 and 27, prosecution witness Dr. Onuoha Okeigwe testified that he relied on her representations to pay for the property and had filed a separate civil suit to recover over N100 million allegedly spent on renovations. The matter was adjourned until January 12, 2027.
​Okoro, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges across the separate cases, was released from custody in late October 2026 after spending months at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre—a period that coincided with the death of her nine-year-old son, Bryan, in June.