Nollywood actress and governorship aspirant, Doris Ogala has warned Nigerians against sending money to a fundraising campaign launched in the name of detained media personality, Blessing Nkiruka Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO, insisting that Okoro never authorised the appeal.

The controversy began after a woman identified as Isa Amira, operating through the Instagram page of The Isa Amira Foundation, appealed to the public for ₦56 million on Okoro’s behalf. According to the foundation, ₦20 million was needed to satisfy the conditions of Okoro’s bail, while the remaining ₦36 million was meant to settle outstanding claims tied to the fraud case against her. The foundation initially stated that it was raising the funds with Okoro’s consent, and tied part of the appeal to news that Okoro had lost her second son, Bryan, while still in custody.

Ogala pushed back after coming across the appeal in a video circulating online. She stated plainly that Okoro was not soliciting funds and was already close to completing her bail process, urging anyone who had donated to the foundation to request a refund. She confirmed that Okoro had indeed lost her son but maintained that his death had nothing to do with any fundraising effort on Okoro’s behalf.

To settle the matter, Ogala reached out to Okoro directly. Okoro told her she had no knowledge of the campaign and had not given anyone permission to collect money in her name, adding that she considered herself the only person entitled to announce her son’s death publicly.

The exchange has left conflicting accounts in public view, with the foundation maintaining it acted with Okoro’s blessing and Okoro denying any such arrangement. Okoro has been held at Kirikiri Prison since she was remanded over an alleged ₦69.15 million property fraud case, in addition to a separate charge before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi involving an alleged ₦36 million obtained by false pretence.

A Lagos State Special Offences Court granted her ₦20 million bail in July, with conditions that included two sureties each providing proof of a three-year fixed deposit of at least ₦20 million, but she has yet to meet those terms and remains in detention as the case continues.