John Okafor alias Mr. Ibu
Nollywood star, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr. Ibu, has begged the kidnappers of his wife, Stella-Maris and son, Emmanuel Mandela Okafor, that he can’t afford the N50 million ransom they are demanding from him.
Mr. Ibu’s wife, son and two in-laws were kidnapped in Enugu State by some heavily armed masked men on Tuesday evening, but the two in-laws, a boy and a girl, managed to escape when the abductors abandoned them in a vehicle and left with Ibu’s wife and son in another vehicle.
The victims were attacked while driving in their Black Honda (End of Discussion)vehicle with registration number AQ 809 NNB.
Speaking with P.M.NEWS on phone this morning, Mr. Ibu said when the abductors attacked his family on their way home from the market, they locked one of his in-laws (a boy) in the boot, while the wife, son and the female in-law were in the car with some of the kidnappers.
“So when they got to a place, they dropped my wife’s car and drove her with my son in another vehicle. But they left the boy in the boot and the 15-year old girl in the vehicle.
“Right now, I’m just begging them to release my wife and son. My son is just a year and two months old. So, he is too young to be going through this,” Mr. Ibu said, adding that “the N50m ransom they are asking for is on the high side. Where on earth can I get such money?”
P.M.NEWS, however, gathered, that the kidnappers have slashed the ransom to N6 million as at the time of filing this report. And when Ibu was contacted again, he confirmed the latest development.
He said: “I’m currently talking to friends to see how I can raise the money. When they (the kidnappers) called me this morning, I pleaded with them that I can’t afford the N50 million, so they reduced it to N6 million.”
In 2007, Mr. Ibu was kidnapped on his way to a film location in Imo State, but was later released when his adbuctors compelled him to abuse former President Olusegun Obasanjo for neglecting them (the kidnappers).
“I did not hesitate to do that because that was the only way I can escape from their claws. In fact, after abusing Obasanjo in front of their camera, they gave me a gift of N100,000 because I did it in a very funny manner,” Ibu said.
— Bayo Adetu
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