How my husband met Stella, why she sold his properties, Mr Ibu’s first wife

A fresh turn in the dispute over the estate of the late Nollywood actor John "Mr. Ibu" Okafor emerged Thursday, as his first wife, Ifeyinwa Nwani, leveled new accusations against his widow, Stella Maris. Nwani also shared her account of how Mr. Ibu and Stella first met.

The family feud resurfaced after Stella appealed for financial assistance from the public in a recent interview. This prompted Mr. Ibu's son, Somtochukwu, to accuse Stella of selling some of the actor's properties and mismanaging funds intended for his medical treatment, among other claims. Now, Ifeyinwa has offered her perspective in an interview with digital creator Babatunde Lucky.

Nwani disputed the impression that Stella was Mr. Ibu's only wife. She recounted that her husband met Stella on the road after she had an altercation with her boyfriend, who allegedly beat her and threw her belongings out. "My husband, Mr. Ibu, met Stella on the road when her boyfriend beat her up and threw her things out," Nwani said. "My husband was on his way home from work when he met her and picked her up. That’s how they started. Then Stella claimed she was pregnant, and he brought her home."

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My husband, Mr. Ibu, met Stella on the road when her boyfriend beat her up and threw her things out. My husband was on his way home from work when he met her and picked her up. That’s how they started. Then Stella claimed she was pregnant, and he brought her home.

Nwani stated she married Mr. Ibu on November 19, 1994, and they had a son, Daniel, the following year. They separated in January 1997 but never formally divorced. She claimed she supported him financially in the early stages of his career before their marriage deteriorated. "When I married my husband, I had nothing. He was an electrician at Benjamin in Onitsha, while I sold pepper in the market," she recalled. "Sometimes I gave him money to meet people in the industry, in the hope that they would give him acting opportunities."

According to Nwani, Mr. Ibu changed after he started acting and began a relationship with their landlady, who allegedly asked him to send Nwani away. In January 1997, after returning from a trip, her husband asked her to leave with their baby. She asserted that she single-handedly raised their son through primary and secondary school, with Mr. Ibu later covering his university education. Nwani also claimed that after their separation, Mr. Ibu had relationships with several other women and fathered children with them, including a daughter named Amarachi with another woman from her village.

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When I married my husband, I had nothing. He was an electrician at Benjamin in Onitsha, while I sold pepper in the market. Sometimes I gave him money to meet people in the industry, in the hope that they would give him acting opportunities.