Mr Ibu’s widow defends the sale of his land in Enugu

Stellamaris, the widow of the late Nollywood actor John “Mr Ibu” Okafor, has responded to allegations made against her by her husband’s son, Somtochukwu.

PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that Somtochukwu accused Ms Stellamaris of selling his late father’s property and misappropriating funds donated for Mr Ibu’s medical care, among other claims.

He made these allegations following an interview with content creator Mukoro “King Mitchy” Michelle, in which Ms Stellamaris and her children appealed to Nigerians for financial assistance.

In her response, published on King Mitchy’s Instagram page on Friday, Ms Stellamaris denied all of Somtochukwu’s claims.

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“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.”

‘No stepson, no daughter’

Ms Stellamaris added that throughout her marriage to Mr Ibu, he never disclosed that he had been previously married or that he had fathered children with other women.

“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.

₦7.5 million donation

King Mitchy, who visited Mr Ibu’s family, revealed that well-meaning Nigerians had 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.”

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King Mitchy expressed gratitude to everyone who stepped up to support the late actor’s family.

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.