Fans Mourn the Loss of Mr Ibu

Friends, family, and colleagues of John Okafor, who is affectionately known as Mr Ibu, are mourning the loss of the Nigerian actor.

The 62-year-old film star passed away on Saturday, 2 March, at Evercare Hospital in Lekki, Lagos State, due to cardiac arrest. Since his passing, fans of the actor have been paying their tributes.

“His facial expressions and his body were his biggest selling points,” film director Babangida Bangis told an international publication on Monday, 4 March. “Mr Ibu was different as he doesn’t even have to talk to elicit laughter, as his face just like Mr Bean [Rowan Atkinson] will do the trick,” he went on to add.

Okafor had been battling an undisclosed illness since 2023. Towards the end of the year, he and his family began reaching out to the public, requesting assistance with paying some of the mounting medical bills.

However, not everyone had the best of intentions. Reports surfaced in January this year that Oyeabuchi Okafor and Jasmine Okekeagwu – his son and adopted daughter, respectively – had been arrested for stealing 55 million naira which had been earmarked for Okafor’s medical treatment.

The actor’s remaining family has not made their plans for his funeral public as of yet.

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