Stellamaris Okafor Refutes Stepson's Claims on Mr Ibu's Assets

Stellamaris Okafor, the widow of the late Nollywood icon John "Mr Ibu" Okafor, has vehemently denied allegations from her stepson, Somtochukwu, who accused her of squandering funds derived from the sale of the actor's properties. The public disagreement intensified after Somtochukwu, identified as Mr Ibu's fourth child, released a video claiming StellaMarris secretly sold off his late father’s assets in Enugu, Asaba, and Lagos. He further alleged that she kept all the proceeds for herself and her biological children. Somto’s video emerged as a direct response to an earlier interview where StellaMarris told content creator Mukoro “King Mitchy” Michelle that she and her three children were facing severe financial hardship, struggling with rent and school fees, and urgently required financial aid.

In a prompt follow-up interview with King Mitchy, StellaMarris refuted all of Somto's claims. She clarified that the only property sold was a piece of land located in the village, asserting that she had fully consulted the late actor's other children before the transaction. Furthermore, she disclosed that the entire N17 million generated from the land sale was strictly allocated to Mr Ibu’s funeral expenses.

“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.The money was N500,000. Regarding the land in Enugu State, three of us sold it to fund my husband’s burial. We sold the land for N17 million and used it for the burial. Go and ask the children,” she said.

She reiterated, “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. The money was N500,000. Regarding the land in Enugu State, three of us sold it to fund my husband’s burial. We sold the land for N17 million and used it for the burial. Go and ask the children,” she said.

StellaMarris also stated that throughout her marriage to Mr Ibu, he never informed her of any prior marriages 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 explained.

She repeated, “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.

Separately, King Mitchy confirmed that well-meaning Nigerians had contributed a total of N7.5 million towards their upkeep. Mr Ibu passed away on March 2, 2024, at a Lagos hospital following a cardiac arrest, at the age of 62.