Veteran Nollywood actor, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, left an indelible mark in the Nigerian movie industry that may be difficult for fans to forget quickly.
Heraldviews recalls that Mr Ibu
died of cardiac arrest at the age of 62 on Saturday.
In this article, Heraldviews details
some controversies surrounding Mr Ibu’s death and his final days before his
demise.
1. Embezzlement of Donations
During the ill-health of the
movie star, many Nigerians and public figures made financial donations, running
into millions to care for his ailment.
However, while Mr Ibu was still
at the hospital, his wife, Stella Maris, called out the actor’s adopted
daughter, Jasmine, for conspiring with his son, Valentine Okafor, to embezzle
her husband’s donations.
Stella claimed that Jasmine had
refused to allow her access to the fund. In response, Jasmine alleged that Mr
Ibu’s wife was requesting money to buy a car and an iPhone.
Days after the social media
callout, Jasmine and Valentine were arrested in Lagos for embezzlement of funds
meant for Mr Ibu’s treatment. They were later released, and all the charges
were withdrawn.
2. Assassination
In 2014, many fans expressed
concern for Mr Ibu over his bloated stomach and the actor, in an interview with
Daily Trust at the time, revealed that his worker poisoned him.
According to him, though he
survived the attack, the residual effect of the toxin has destroyed parts of
his digestive system and stomach wall.
3. Illicit Affair With Adopted Daughter
Earlier in 2023, before the
health of the movie star deteriorated, his wife, Stella Maris, in a social
media post, alleged that Jasmine is not her husband’s adopted daughter but
lover.
She accused Jasmine of sleeping
with her husband, but she (Jasmine) denied the allegation, stating that her
relationship with the thespian has been like that of a daughter and father.
4. Leg Amputated Due To Diabetes
After Mr Ibu’s leg was
amputated in 2023, there were claims online that the actor’s health issues were
related to diabetes.
However, Mr Ibu’s family
debunked the claim, stating that he has been dealing with blood clotting in his
leg, attributed to disease in blood vessels.
5. Unhappy marriages
In an interview, the movie star
revealed that he had been married five times. Mr Ibu also said he had never
been happy in his marriage, adding that his last to Stella Maris had been his
worst.
In his words: “This is my final
marriage. If this one falls apart, I won’t marry again. This is my fifth and
the worst marriage because my wife embraces what is not obtainable. This feels
like punishment and not marriage. I doubt if I’m still in the marriage because
it seems she has already prepared her mind to leave, and I’m not going to stop
her.
” I support her leaving. I
begin to breathe erratically each time i see her, and it’s not healthy for me
because I’m not ready to die.”
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