Four hospitals abroad rejected my husband, Mr Ibu’s wife opens up on his death

*Says, ‘The comic actor was crying like a baby and gnashing his teeth’

Stella Maris, wife of late comic actor John Okafor popularly known as Mr Ibu was visibly overwhelmed with emotion Monday, when she attended a joint night of tribute in honour of her late husband alongside two other legendary actors, Amaechi Muonagor and Zulu Adigwe. The actors died between March and April this year.

While Mr Ibu passed away on March 2, after battling with a protracted illness, Amaechi Muonagor died two weeks later, on March 24, after suffering from kidney disease, diabetes, and stroke. Similarly, Zulu Adigwe died on the 23rd of April.

The joint night of tribute was organized by the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, and held in four cities across the country, including Abuja, Lagos, Asaba, and Enugu.

Mr Ibu’s widow, Stella Maris who attended the night of tribute alongside his three kids reminisced on how she lost her beloved husband to the pangs of death.

“I am feeling so sad that I am not with my husband here. I am not happy at all after all the efforts and sufferings we went through to save his life,” Mr Ibu’s widow echoed emotionally in a chat with our reporter.

She added: “I don’t know what to say! Where do I start from? It’s so painful seeing my husband cry like a baby with me, saying “Oh first class is this me?” I was watching my husband crying and gnashing his teeth. I was in the hospital with him.

According to her, their effort to fly the late actor abroad for further treatment was aborted as the four hospitals they approached abroad rejected him.

“There was a time we wanted to fly him abroad for further treatment. We sent letters to two Indian hospitals, America and Germany, but they all rejected him.

“They said he might not make it. So, we tried our best to save him from dying. I tried as a wife. And if it were to be something that money could save him, my husband wouldn’t have died.

“It’s so sad that he was not here with us. Last Sunday was Father’s Day and my children were feeling alone because their father was not there with them. We used to celebrate Father’s Day together,” the mother of three kids bemoaned.

Narrating what led to Mr Ibu returning to hospital after he was discharged initially, the deceased’s wife said he was discharged following the advice of his doctors to save cost.

“He was discharged from the hospital then, not because he was that strong. His doctors said that instead of the hospital spending money, it would be better for him to go home as they would get him a pain and caregivers at home. That was why he was discharged in the first place,” she added.

The remains of Mr Ibu will be buried on June 28, 2024, in his hometown of Amuri, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.