THE family of popular Nigerian comic actor, John Okafor (Mr Ibu) has debunked rumours currently circulating about his health, stating that contrary to reports on social media, the actor has undergone amputation on only one leg, not both.
They added that the initial amputation did not resolve his health challenges, leading to a subsequent amputation on the same leg.
The family also refuted claims attributing Mr Ibu’s illness to diabetes, disclosing that the actor has been battling with blood clots in his leg, which was attributed to diseased blood vessels.
A statement on the actor’s Instagram page 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 would 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 the same leg further to ensure we didn’t lose 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 to date is that 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 hospitals 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 their 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.”
Previous reports in October indicated that Mr Ibu successfully underwent five surgeries and was scheduled to be flown abroad for further treatment.
