Nollywood movie lovers were on Saturday, March 2, thrown into mourning with the news of the death of John Okafor popularly known as Mr Ibu.
For decades, the actor delighted viewers with his exceptional interpretation of movie roles.
Not much was however, known about his private life. A search reveals interesting facts about the veteran comic actor.
1. Academic background:
Contrary to most of his Nollywood roles which portrayed him as a rural illiterate, the Enugu-born actor was a graduate. Ibu who was born on October 17, 1961, was a graduate of Mass Communication from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu.
2. Real name:
Till his death, the Nollywood actor was best known across the world as Mr. Ibu. However, his real name is John Okafor. The name “Mr. Ibu” was the name he adopted in some of his movie roles.
3. What made him unique:
Okafor became famous with his unique comic acts. He was known to play the role of a rustic illiterate who was not interested in living a polished lifestyle.
4. Number of marriages:
Ibu was in his 5th marriage before he died. His last marriage was with Stellamaris in 2008 with.
5. Number of children:
The actor is said to have 14 children, adopted and biological. Among them are Daniel Okafor, and adopted daughter Jasmine Chioma.
6. What are the controversies associated with Mr Ibu?
The late Nollywood actor faced a series of controversies during his lifetime. But the most talked about was his infidelity issues. His wife, Stella accused him of being in a romantic relationship with their adopted daughter, Jasmine, an allegation the late actor and Jasmine debunked.
The late actor also accused his wife of having sinister motives about him. For that reason, he said he had stopped eating her food. They had reconciled before his demise.
Mr. Ibu’s son Daniel, and adopted daughter Jasmine were arrested for allegedly stealing $60,700 raised for his hospital bills. Though they were released on bail, they remain in custody pending further legal proceedings scheduled for March 11th, 2024.
7. Health challenges:
Mr. Ibu became one of the most discussed topics in Nigeria in October 2023 when his health challenges became public knowledge.
The Leadership newspaper quotes a family source as saying that “He’s had constant clotting of blood in his leg (diseased blood vessels) and other health challenges posing a risk to his life, therefore the need for amputation. He wasn’t flown abroad for treatment because “the doctors tagged him ‘Not fit to fly’.
Because of the “strange and dangerous illness,” he had to undergo multiple surgeries to treat the illness and one of his legs had to be amputated multiple times since November 2023.
Reports have since claimed that he had recovered from the illness months before his sudden demise on March 2, 2024.
8. What is the cause of Mr Ibu’s death?
John Okafor died at the age of 62 after suffering a cardiac arrest according to his long-time manager, Don Nwuzor. This was also corroborated in a statement by the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) president, Emeka Rollas on Saturday, March 2.
9. His most famous movies:
The exact number of movies John Okafor featured in before his death is not known but reports claimed that he featured in over 200 Nollywood movies.
Some of the movies include: Mr. Ibu in London, Mr. Ibu and His Son, Coffin Producers, Husband Suppliers, International Players, Police Recruit, 9 Wives, Ibu in Prison, and Keziah.
10. Other things he was known for:
Aside from acting, John Okafor owned a music record label and a hotel. He was a philanthropist supporting causes to help the underprivileged, especially children.