Nollywood actress Tope Osoba has died at 40 after battling breast cancer, with colleague Foluke Daramola announcing the news on Instagram on Wednesday.
Osoba passed away on Wednesday, with Daramola breaking the news via her Instagram page. Osoba had publicly disclosed her health struggle in 2024, when she appealed for financial assistance after undergoing her first breast cancer surgery. Her death drew an immediate wave of tributes from colleagues and fans across the Nigerian film industry.
Daramola revealed at the time that Osoba needed a second operation to remove the remaining cancerous particles from her breast, with the procedure estimated to cost about N12 million. That figure placed the treatment cost beyond what the actress could bear on her own, prompting a public call for support.
Daramola also shared footage of Osoba undergoing medical examinations and disclosed that the actress had sought support from the president of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), Bolaji Amusan. No statement from Amusan on the matter appeared in the public record at the time.
Osoba recounted how she discovered a lump in her breast during a routine self-examination. That discovery set off a sequence of medical consultations that would shape the final years of her life and career.
Osoba, who was 40, had battled breast cancer for a period that became public knowledge when she chose to speak openly about her condition. Her decision to disclose the illness placed her medical journey in the public domain and drew financial contributions from supporters across the country.
According to the Vanguard report, Osoba appealed for financial assistance after undergoing her first breast cancer surgery in 2024. A second surgery was required to complete treatment, and the cost of that procedure became a central part of the public fundraising effort led by Daramola.
Daramola shared footage of Osoba undergoing medical examinations as part of that effort and revealed that Osoba had sought support from TAMPAN president Bolaji Amusan. TAMPAN is the principal regulatory and professional body governing theater and film practice in Nigeria.
The lump that led to Osoba’s diagnosis was not immediately identified as cancerous. Osoba discovered the lump during a routine self-examination, a fact she recounted publicly during her battle with breast cancer. Her willingness to speak openly about the process drew attention to early detection as a health concern.
A doctor initially dismissed the growth. According to Vanguard, the lump was attributed by a doctor to changes associated with childbearing, not cancer. Osoba did not accept that conclusion and pressed for further medical examination.
Her persistence altered the course of events. Osoba insisted on further medical tests, which eventually confirmed that the lump was cancerous. That confirmation set off her treatment, including the first surgery she underwent before publicly disclosing her condition in 2024.
The second surgery required to clear remaining cancerous particles was estimated at N12 million, a figure Daramola disclosed when rallying public support for the actress. Whether that procedure was completed before Osoba’s death on Wednesday was not stated in the Vanguard report.
Daramola’s role in publicizing Osoba’s condition made her a central figure in the actress’s medical narrative. Daramola shared footage of Osoba’s medical examinations and confirmed that the actress had reached out to TAMPAN president Bolaji Amusan for institutional backing. The outcome of that outreach was not detailed in available reports.
Osoba’s death closes a public medical journey that began when she disclosed her breast cancer diagnosis following her first surgery. She was 40 years old at the time of her death. No formal statement from TAMPAN had been issued as of Wednesday regarding her passing.
Osoba had battled breast cancer, and, according to Vanguard, her death came after that prolonged illness. Her case had drawn attention to the financial burden of cancer treatment, with Daramola using social media and shared footage of medical examinations to secure support for the actress from both the public and institutional figures such as Bolaji Amusan of TAMPAN.
Colleagues and fans drew tributes across platforms on Wednesday. Osoba’s death prompted an outpouring of reactions from those who had followed her career in the Nigerian film industry and her public medical struggle with breast cancer. She was 40.
