“Allow our husband to rest in peace” — Mr. Ibu’s first wife blasts widow Stella Maris over property sales
The explosive family feud surrounding the estate of the late comic legend John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, has taken a dramatic turn.
The late actor’s first wife has publicly broken her silence to counter recent claims made by his widow, Stella Maris Okafor, accusing her of attempting to monopolise the actor’s legacy and properties.
The friction intensified after Stella Maris appeared in a viral video interview with social media influencer King Mitchy, tearfully pleading for public financial assistance to cover her house rent and children’s school fees.
Allegations of secret property sales and arbitrary arrests
Responding fiercely to the viral interview, Mr Ibu’s first wife identified herself as the matriarch of the family, clarifying that Stella Maris is actually the late actor’s fifth wife.
She alleged that Stella’s public claims of destitution are a smoke screen designed to mask significant financial mismanagement.
According to the first wife, Stella Maris took hostile actions against other members of the family even while Mr. Ibu was on his sickbed.
She alleged that Stella ordered the arrest of Mr Ibu’s first son, Valentine Okafor, and his adopted daughter, Jasmine, who were collectively managing the medical donation accounts set up by well-meaning Nigerians.
Furthermore, fresh accusations suggest that Stella Maris has systematically disposed of the actor’s valuable assets without consulting his older children.
Family sources allege that she sold a property in Enugu for ₦17 million, another asset in Asaba for ₦11 million, and a Lagos property for ₦60 million, while allegedly keeping the proceeds entirely for her immediate household.
The battle over Mr Ibu’s true lineage
A core grievance raised by the first wife centres on Stella Maris’s public projection of her children as the sole heirs to the late comedian’s legacy.
“Nigerians, please help me beg Stella to allow our husband to rest in peace,” the first wife pleaded. “You are the fifth wife. Why do you keep flaunting your children as the only children of Mr. Ibu? What about Amara, Onyebuchi, Valentine, the twins in Port Harcourt, and his other children in Ghana?”
This aligns with a matching blowout video released by the actor’s third son, Somtochukwu Okafor, who called out his stepmother for completely sidelining him.
Somtochukwu revealed that despite the millions realised from asset sales, Stella Maris refused to support him with funds to secure his West African Examinations Council (WAEC) results, leaving him in school fee arrears.
Stella Maris defends asset liquidations
In her defence, posted via King Mitchy’s media channels, Stella Maris strongly denied any fraudulent asset liquidation.
She displayed legal documents, claiming that the Enugu land sale was fully backed by a court order and executed alongside Mr Ibu’s sons, Valentine and Daniel Okafor, to generate the millions required to fund the actor’s burial in June 2024.
Stella Maris also claimed she was unaware that Mr Ibu had prior marriages or other children, stating the late actor never formally introduced them to her as his biological offspring during their marriage.
Meanwhile, influencer King Mitchy confirmed that a fresh intervention fund of ₦7.5 million has already been raised by sympathetic Nigerians to secure accommodation and schooling for Stella’s immediate children, even as the wider family continues to trade heavy blows over the icon’s estate.
Read More: Mr Ibu’s family, friends set up GoFundMe page for burial donations
