Ibu, who has been sick for some time, disclosed in a post on his page on Monday that his leg has been amputated after undergoing seven surgeries.
According to the post page, it was revealed that the leg of the popular Nollywood actor was amputated to keep him alive.
However, the family of the popular Nollywood actor continued to solicit support from well-meaning Nigerians to aid his recovery process.
“We want to appreciate everyone that has come through for our dad, saying we are grateful is an understatement and only the good Lord can thank you all enough for every help you’ve rendered.
“As of 1 pm, noon today, Daddy has gone through seven successful surgeries but to keep him alive and increase his chances of recovery one of his legs had to be amputated.
“This development has been hard on us all but we’ve had to accept it as Daddy’s new reality to keep him alive.
“Please we are still soliciting support from well-meaning Nigerians at this stage Daddy is still one very delicate one and he needs all the help he can get.
“Thank you, everyone, the Okafor family is grateful and we don’t take you for granted.
“In due time Daddy will personally acknowledge everyone who supported them during this period as soon as he’s stable!,” the post read.
John Ikechukwu Okafor (born 17 October 1961), popularly known as Mr. Ibu, is a Nigerian actor and comedian from Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.
After elementary school, in 1974, Okafor moved to Sapele to stay with his brother, after his father’s demise.
In Sapele, he did menial jobs so he could sponsor himself to school and support his family.
Mr. Ibu variously worked as a hairstylist, photographer and also in a company that produces crates.
After secondary school, he was admitted into the College of Education, Yola, but pulled out due to financial difficulties.
He later enrolled in the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu as soon as he was financially able to.
He has acted in more than 200 NollyWood movies, including Mr. Ibu (2004); Mr. Ibu 2 (2005); Mr. Ibu and His Son; Coffin Producers;
Husband Suppliers; International Players; Mr. Ibu In London (2005); Police Recruit (2003); 9 Wives (2005); Ibu In Prison (2006); and Keziah (2007).
Mr. Ibu also ventured into music. He did music for a short period of time. On October 15, 2020 he released his songs titled This Girl and Do You Know?
Last October, the popular Nollywood actor revealed that he was suffering from an ailment that threatened to amputate one of his legs.
Mr. Ibu said he was struck by the problem while on a movie set with other Nollywood actors and actresses.
He appealed to his fans and the public for prayers and financial assistance to cover his medical bills.
Mr. Ibu also shared a video of himself lying in a hospital bed, expressing his fear of losing his leg.
Following the appeal for public help, the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Foundation, established by the former President of the Senate, claimed it paid off Okafor’s entire medical expenses as of 18 October 2023.
The foundation however stated that Mr. Ibu still required a lot of financial assistance to sustain him in the hospital and for his travel abroad for further treatment.
•Additional information sourced from Wikipedia.
