The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has received a petition from the family of Deborah Mbara, a cancer survivor, accusing social media influencer Blessing CEO of cyberbullying, forgery and orchestrating a multi-million naira fundraising scam.
A source within the EFCC confirmed to TheCable Lifestyle on Friday that the commission has received a formal petition against Blessing CEO.
The petition, dated April 8, 2026, was filed by the law firm S.M. Anyanwu & Co. (Chieze Chambers) on behalf of Mbara.
It alleged that Blessing CEO, whose real name is Blessing Okoro, exploited Deborah’s health crisis to defraud well meaning Nigerians of over N300 million.
According to the family, the influencer altered Deborah’s genuine medical report to falsely claim she was battling Stage 4 cancer.
“The fraudster used the altered report to defraud innocent Nigerians who donated well over ₦300 million for fake Stage 4 cancer,” the petition reads in part.
The family’s lawyer described the ordeal as painful, adding that while Deborah was fighting for her life, Blessing CEO allegedly used her identity and falsified medical data to solicit donations into private accounts, none of which were remitted to the patient.
The petition also accused the influencer of cyberbullying Deborah and her relatives when they began raising questions about discrepancies in the fundraising campaign.
A copy of the document bears a “received” stamp from the EFCC chairman’s office at the agency’s Abuja headquarters, also dated April 8, 2026.
The family also demanded the influencer’s immediate arrest and prosecution for what they call a “heartless” exploitation of a life threatening illness.
The controversy began in March when Blessing CEO announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The cancer report was allegedly issued by Xinus Medical Diagnostics and signed by a consultant pathologist, O.A. Odigwe.
However, the diagnostic centre denied issuing any report to the influencer, stating that the original document was issued to Deborah in May 2025 and was later altered.
The Delta State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association also said the report circulating online did not belong to Blessing CEO but was a manipulated version of Deborah’s medical record.
Deborah, a makeup artist based in Delta, had earlier explained that she shared her medical report with the influencer in good faith, only to later discover it was allegedly edited and used online to support a false cancer claim and fundraising drive.
The development marks a change from the EFCC’s earlier position when the agency said it had not received any formal complaint despite public concern over the allegations.
