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John Okafor, a comedian and actor better known by his stage name Mr. Ibu, recently passed away at the age of 62 on March 2, 2024. The news of his demise was made official by his social media team on his Instagram. Furthermore, he was reportedly transferred to the intensive care unit a few days prior, as reported by Times Now News.
He starred in more than 200 Nollywood productions, including the Mr. Ibu series. The 62-year-old actor had to have his leg amputated last year due to health issues.
His death comes after a recent deterioration in his health. Now, he is survived by his wife, Stella Maris Okafor, and his children, Emmanuel Mandela Okafor, Chelsea Okafor, Jay Jay Okafor, and Jasmine Okafor.
John Okafor was married to Stella Maris Okafor
On May 25, 2010, John Okafor married Stella Maris Okafor in an Igbo-traditional ceremony, and in 2015, they had a white wedding. Stella Maris Chinyere Okafor is a native of Mbaise, Nigeria's Imo State.
While not much is known about Stella, blogs such as Digital Ocean have stated that she is well-known for her extraordinary culinary abilities. In addition, Stella Maris became well-known for developing the delicious cuisine known as "Ibu stew."
However, in November 2023, Stella made allegations against Jazmine Chioma Okeke, their adopted daughter, accusing her of misappropriating funds intended for Okafor's medical care in order to support her opulent lifestyle.
In response, Jazmine countered Stella's accusations by alleging that Stella had utilized the funds to buy a new car for her personal use. Stella further said that Jazmine was spreading false rumors about her in an Instagram statement. She also alleged that Jazmine was covertly in charge of the bank account intended for donations. As per Times Now, she said,
"I do not have access to the main Access bank account where people make donations. It is being secretly controlled by Jazmine yet she is cooking up all kinds of lies and propaganda against me to keep absolute control of that account. How she manipulated her way and took control of that account is a story for another day."
Months after Stella publicly revealed that Jazmine was not Ibu's real daughter, these charges surfaced. She first claimed that Jazmine was Ibu's girlfriend. However, his boys from his prior relationship disputed this claim.
She went on to claim that John Okafor was having an affair with Jasmine and claimed that, in an effort to trick her husband, who had dementia, Jasmine had taken over his Instagram account. However, after accusing her husband of having a romantic involvement with Jasmine, Stella eventually apologized to her.
John Okafor has also appeared in over 200 Nollywood productions, such as Police Recruit, Coffin Producers, Mr. Ibu in London, Mr. Ibu and His Son, and Husband Suppliers, among many more.
On the other hand, according to the BBC, John Okafor's adopted daughter Jasmine Chioma and son Daniel Okafor were suspected of breaking into his phone and stealing $60,700, raised to pay for his hospital fees last year.
Following the siblings' appearance at a bail hearing, the police released a statement regarding their arrest and the status of their investigation into the purported scam.
