Nigerian actor John Ikechukwu Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu has pleaded with well-wishers to come to his aid as he battles an ailment that might lead to amputation of one of his legs.
Through a video on his official Instagram account, Ibu, who celebrated his 62nd birthday from the hospital bed, said doctors had told him he risks losing his leg if the new round of treatment does not work.
In the video, a frail-looking Ibu, whose leg is visibly swollen, is surrounded by his family as he cuts cake.
"As I speak to you, I am still lying down in the hospital; the medical director of this hospital said that the best solution is, in case his new idea didn't work, the best idea is to cut off my leg.
"Just see me, if they cut off my leg, where do I go from here? Please pray for me, talk to God Almighty, and I don't want my legs to be cut off. Thank you so much. God bless you," he said.
His daughter Jasmine Okafor confirmed that her father has been ill for sometime time now and has been admitted for two weeks.
Jasmine said the hospital bill was piling and the family was financially strained.
In an emotional appeal, she called upon Nigerians to come to the aid of one of their most celebrated stars and ensure he gets the best medical treatment available.
"As a family, we want to appeal that at this point, people should come to Daddy's aid and rescue; for the past two weeks, Daddy has been very down, so we took him to the hospital. I have been sorting the bills, thinking I can do it alone.
"We have been doing everything humanly possible; as a family, we felt it was something we could do on our own for him to be fine, but he is not getting any better...We are at one of the best private medical facilities in Lagos, and they want to refer us to another hospital because he is not getting better here," she said.
In 2022, Mr Ibu was hospitalized in Abuja and he claimed that he had been poisoned by 'village people' during his visit to Nkanu West, Enugu.