Two of popular Nigerian actor John Okafor’s children have been arrested for allegedly stealing money raised to pay for his hospital fees last year.
Known as Mr Ibu, the 62-year-old had a leg amputated in November after fans had donated to a crowd-funding scheme.
His son Daniel Okafor and adopted daughter Jasmine Chioma are accused of hacking into his phone and taking $60,700 (£47,800) for themselves.
The pair have not commented since their arrest in the city of Lagos.
The police issued a statement about their arrest and their investigation into the alleged fraud after the siblings appeared at a bailing hearing on Thursday.
A court said the two could be freed if a $17,000 bond was posted. They remain in custody.
The police’s criminal investigation unit said it had discovered that they had allegedly installed an app on their father’s phone after the fund-raising began.
This allegedly enabled them to start transferring money out of his account.
They are expected to appear in court on 11 March for the next hearing.
Mr Ibu’s health issues first came to public attention last October, when the family posted a video on social media of the Nollywood star celebrating in hospital. In the clip he asked his fans for help with medical bills, eliciting a huge response.
The Nigerian comedy Mr. Ibu, which gave rise to the actor’s moniker, helped make him famous 20 years ago. It is still recognized as one of the greatest comedic roles ever played by a Nigerian actor.
In a career spanning more than two decades, he went on to act in several additional noteworthy Nollywood films, as Nigeria’s multibillion-dollar film industry is known.
A few years ago, the celebrity revealed to a local newspaper that he was the father of 13 children, some of them were adopted.
Leave a Reply