Stellamaris Okafor, the widow of the late Nollywood actor John “Mr Ibu” Okafor, has responded to allegations made by her husband’s son, Somtochukwu, denying all claims of selling property and misappropriating funds donated for Mr Ibu’s medical care.
Allegations and Response
PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that Somtochukwu accused Ms Stellamaris of selling his late father’s property and misusing funds raised for medical treatment. In her response, published on content creator King Mitchy’s Instagram page on Friday, Ms Stellamaris refuted these accusations.
“Before they sold the land, we were still in the village, and they (the children and family) were arguing with me over the money they gave me during the burial. They insisted that I must share the money with them. I told them the money was for my children,” she stated. “The money was ₦500,000. Regarding the land in Enugu State, three of us sold it to fund my husband’s burial. We sold the land for ₦17 million and used it for the burial. Go and ask the children.”
Denial of Prior Marriage
Ms Stellamaris added that throughout her marriage to Mr Ibu, he never disclosed any previous marriage or children from other relationships. “My husband never told me that he was married before. Even the first son, I keep seeing him in the house. My husband never for one day told me that he was his son. When I was married to my husband, he impregnated a lady who gave birth to twins,” she said.
Donation from Well-Wishers
King Mitchy, who visited Mr Ibu’s family, revealed that well-meaning Nigerians contributed a total of ₦7.5 million towards their upkeep. She noted that she was unaware of the family’s plight until a third party brought it to her attention.
“My only focus from the beginning has been to make sure the children get the help they deserve. Together, we raised ₦7.5 million for the family. God bless every single one of you. This support will help pay the children’s school fees, including the eldest daughter’s WAEC fees, which they couldn’t afford,” she said. “It will also help them with rent. After speaking with the mother, I advised her to move to a more affordable house, and we had a very long conversation. I’ll be posting other parts of our conversation because there is so much to share. I also asked her some of the questions many of you have been asking. I only met her two days ago after a neighbour called me to help.”
Background
This newspaper reported that Mr Ibu died on 2 March 2024 at Evercare Hospital in Lekki, Lagos State, at the age of 62, following a cardiac arrest. He was laid to rest on 28 June 2024, in his hometown of Amuri, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.
