The family of renowned Nollywood actor, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, has come forward to debunk reports claiming that his second leg has been amputated and that he is in critical condition.
In a statement released on Saturday evening by Valentine Okafor, a representative of the family, they clarified the true state of Mr Ibu’s health and addressed the misconceptions circulating on social media.
Contrary to earlier reports, the family stated that Mr Ibu has not undergone a second leg amputation. Instead, he is battling blood clotting in his legs, along with other health challenges that pose a significant risk to his life.
The initial amputation performed on one leg did not entirely resolve his health predicament, leading to the decision for further amputation to ensure his well-being.
The family further clarified that Mr Ibu’s health condition is not related to diabetes, as previously speculated. Rather, he has been dealing with constant clotting of the blood in his leg, caused by diseased blood vessels. This, combined with other health complications, necessitated the need for the amputation.
Addressing concerns about seeking medical treatment abroad, the family explained that the reason Mr Ibu has not been flown out of the country is due to medical advice. Doctors have deemed him “Not Fit to Fly,” making it impossible to arrange for advanced treatment in another country. Currently, he is receiving medical care at one of Nigeria’s most reputable hospitals, where a team of skilled professionals is attending to his needs.
The statement read, “We wish to Express our sincere gratitude to well meaning Nigerians and the general public for your immense contributions, physically, spiritually and most above all financially, on getting our daddy Mr John Okafor (Mr Ibu) back on his feet again.
“We wish to correct some misconceptions making rounds on social media concerning the current state of our father’s health.
“First we will like to state that our daddy wasn’t amputated on both legs but only one. The first amputation didn’t completely correct his health predicament so the doctors had to go ahead to amputate same leg further to ensure we didn’t loose him.
“Daddy’s cause of sickness is also not diabetes but he’s had constant clotting of the blood in his leg ( diseased blood vessels) and other health challenges posing risk to his life , therefore the need for the amputation.
“Lastly, the only reason why the family has not flown him out of the country till date is cause the doctors have tagged him “Not Fit to Fly”.. This tag has made it extremely impossible to get him out of the country for advanced treatment as no airline will fly him.. Daddy is currently admitted at one of the biggest and best hospital we’ve got in Nigeria as of today and the hospital has availed him a pool of very astute professionals.
“As Daddy is recuperating we urge his friends, colleagues, fans and Nigerians at large to keep him in thier prayers and peddle down on unconfirmed reports concerning our dad’s health..
“Thank you Nigerians you all have been very supportive this period. God bless you all.”
