Cancer fraud: Influencer Blessing CEO in fresh trouble

Social media personality, Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, may be in serious trouble as the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have started probing allegations of fraud and forgery levelled against her.

The Delta State Police Command confirmed that it had received a petition on the matter, while the anti-graft agency said it had started looking into the allegations of financial misconduct linked to her.

The development follows accusations that the influencer falsified a cancer diagnosis and koi used a doctored medical report to solicit donations from the public.

Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the Police Public Relations Officer in Delta State, Edefa Bright, said, “We acknowledge the petitions; we are waiting for the complainants to come and give us their statement. We will thereafter investigate.”

Similarly, the Head of Media and Publicity at the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, said, “There was a petition submitted; we received it and we are going to look into it. Whatever comes out of our findings will determine our next line of action.”

The controversy surrounding Okoro began after she claimed to be battling cancer, which drew sympathy and support from followers.

However, inconsistencies in her claims triggered widespread backlash, with many questioning the authenticity of the diagnosis.

The Nigerian Medical Association in Delta State disowned the histology report linked to her, stating that the document was originally issued on May 9, 2025, by Xinus Medical Diagnostics in Asaba to a breast cancer survivor, Deborah Mbara, following a referral for a confirmatory breast cancer test.

Mbara later accused the influencer of doctoring her medical report to solicit donations from the public.

In a video posted on Instagram, Mbara, who runs a beauty business in Asaba, said she met Okoro in 2025 while working as a make-up artist for her.

She added that she later reached out to the influencer to offer support after seeing her public claims of battling stage four cancer and gave her the report when Okoro requested to compare it with hers.

However, in a recent interview with a social media influencer, Egungun of Lagos, Okoro retracted her claims that she had stage four cancer.

She also admitted raising N13m from the public but insisted that she owed no one an apology.

Following the development, Mbara, through her lawyer, Sunny Anyanwu, filed a petition before the EFCC, urging the agency to investigate the matter.

In the petition obtained by our correspondent on Friday, the lawyer stated that the alleged actions contravened provisions of the Cybercrime Act, 2015, the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, and other relevant laws in Nigeria.

He stated, “Our client is indeed traumatised and emotionally depressed as her medical records are now on social media, television houses, and other public spaces. It is only when the fraudster, Blessing Okoro, also known as Blessing CEO, is made to face the full weight of the law and compelled to refund all monies collected using our client’s medical report that justice will not only be done but seen to be done.”

Speaking further in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Anyanwu alleged that the influencer generated over N300m from the purported scheme.

“When we got the brief, we reached out to Blessing CEO. I introduced myself and she immediately apologised, saying she was on her way to Asaba. She later met with my client’s husband, and it was agreed that she would issue a public apology, which she failed to do.

“I told her the matter had gone too far, and she responded that controversy is what she thrives on. Do you understand the gravity of altering someone’s medical record to solicit funds from unsuspecting Nigerians? Our findings show she received over N300 million. She moved the funds from a GTBank account to another bank. That account was opened solely for this purpose.

“Someone donated N20m, yet she claims she received only N10m. Based on these findings, we had no choice but to file a formal petition before the EFCC,” he added.

Reacting in an interview, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Monday Ubani, described the alleged act as a criminal offence and called for prosecution of the actress.

“That is clear deception and obtaining by false pretence which is a crime. She should be prosecuted. The police should investigate that matter and if it is found that she is lying and she has collected money, she should be prosecuted.

“If this is true, it is very shameful. Such a human being does not have a character. If she never had any cancer and came to the public and said she had cancer and later she came to retract and say she does not have and she does not want to return the money people have given to her, she must be a very cheap thief.”

Meanwhile, the Delta State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association has said it is ready to testify if invited in the course of investigation.

The state Chairman of the association, Dr Israel Adaigho, said the body was not instituting any legal action but was focused on defending the integrity of its members and supporting ongoing investigations.

“The case has already been taken up by Deborah’s legal representatives, and we are ready to testify if invited,” Adaigho said.

The consultant pathologist who issued the report that was allegedly doctored, Dr A.O. Odigwe, maintained that the statement issued by the NMA was his position on the matter.

Asked whether he would take further action, the pathologist said it would depend on “unfolding developments.”

The Nigerian Cancer Society, in a statement by its National Director of Publicity, Bashir Ranccas, condemned the false claims and urged security agencies to investigate the matter.

Efforts to get Okoro on Friday to respond to the matter were unsuccessful as her line was not reachable, while text and WhatsApp messages sent to her had yet to receive a response as of the time of filing this report. (Punch)