A video capturing one of the last moments of veteran Nollywood actor, John Okafor, known as Mr Ibu, has surfaced on social media.
Mr Ibu passed away on Saturday, March 2, after a prolonged battle with sickness.
The one-minute trending video shows the late actor on his sickbed praising popular Nigerian afrobeat singer, Paul Okoye, also known as Rudeboy, for his support.
In the video, he says, “Rudeboy, I don’t know where to start my language, but everything happens exactly on God’s own time. When the time comes, it has come.
“Rudeboy, if you don’t make heaven, call me nama [meat]. You will enter heaven, and we will sit in the presence of the angels and eat together.
“What people will be saying today will be, how come? But Ibu and P-Square did not come from the same parents.”
The singer, who shared the video on his Instagram page, expressed how heartbreaking it was for him.
Earlier, Okoye had posted that he slept in the hospital for several weeks just to be with Mr Ibu, and he still left.
The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, mentioned that Mr Ibu had suffered cardiac arrest for 24 years, quoting Don Niwuzor, Mr Ibu’s manager.
Mr Ibu passed away at the age of 62 in an undisclosed hospital in Lagos State, Nigeria, according to local reports.
His health issues came to public attention last October when the family posted a video on social media celebrating Mr Ibu’s birthday in the hospital and asking for help with medical bills.
In November 2023, one of his legs was amputated after fans donated to a crowdfunding scheme for his medical bills.
Funds for his treatment became a source of conflict within his family, as allegations arose that his son Daniel Okafor and adopted daughter Jasmine Chioma embezzled the money.
In January, police arrested them on charges of hacking Mr Ibu’s phone and taking $60,700 (£47,800) for themselves.
However, in a recent interview with media personality Chude Jidenwo, Jasmine denied the accusations, stating that she had no access to the money.
“It’s not true that I took money from that family, not even once, and they know I have no access to that money. The son has gone to the police station to clear my name. I handle my father’s transactions; I was the one doing the transactions before he got sick. All of a sudden, donations are coming in; do you want me to hand you the phone, my father gave it to me.”
Both are expected to appear in court on March 11 for the next hearing.
Okafor rose to fame 20 years ago with the Nigerian comedy “Mr Ibu,” which became his nickname. He is regarded as one of the best Nigerian performers in comedy roles, appearing in over 200 Nollywood films, including “Keziah,” “9 Wives,” and several “Mr Ibu” series. The star had mentioned in a previous interview that he had a total of 13 children, some of whom he adopted.
