Nigerian police have begun investigating the controversial cancer claims made by relationship therapist, Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO.
The development follows a petition submitted by social media critic, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), which has now been approved for investigation by the Nigeria Police Force under the directive of the Inspector General of Police.
The controversy began after Blessing CEO posted a viral video on March 25, 2026, claiming she had been diagnosed with stage four cancer. In the emotional clip, she appeared to show signs of hair loss, which she attributed to the illness.
She later disclosed that she had started selling some of her properties to raise funds for treatment.
However, the situation escalated when the Delta State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) distanced itself from a histology report circulating online and linked to her. The association stated that the document had allegedly been altered from an original report belonging to another patient diagnosed with breast cancer.
It was earlier reported that Blessing CEO had shared the report publicly to support her claims while appealing for financial assistance.
Following widespread criticism and allegations of manipulation, she later retracted her statement, clarifying in an interview that she did not have stage four cancer and described the earlier claim as a “miscommunication.” She also disclosed that she received a total of ₦13 million in donations before deactivating her social media account.
Reacting to the incident, VeryDarkMan said he filed the petition after personally donating money, having been moved by her emotional video.
“I believed her because she shaved her hair and I felt compassion. Even though I had little in my account at the time, I still sent her money,” he said in a video shared on Instagram.
He expressed disappointment over the situation, noting that many people genuinely battling cancer deserve empathy and support.
“There are many people living with cancer. It’s wrong for anyone to make light of such a serious condition,” he added.
VDM confirmed that the petition has been formally submitted and is now under investigation by the police.