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Nollywood actor John Okafor aka Mr Ibu has lost one of his legs after doctors amputated it to boost his chances of full recovery.
According to his family, Mr Ibu underwent seven successful surgeries but at the cost of his leg, in a bid to save his life.
"As of 1pm (Monday), Daddy has gone through 7 successful surgeries but to keep him alive and increase his chances of recovery, one of his legs had to be amputated.
"This development has been hard on us all but we've had to accept it is Daddy's new reality to keep him alive," read the statement in part.
The family called upon Nigerians to support one of their own as they described Mr Ibu's condition as delicate.
A fortnight ago, the actor said he was afraid of losing his legs, adding that doctors had told him amputation would be the solution if the new round of treatment would not work.
In a video on his socials, Ibu was surrounded by family as he celebrated his 62nd birthday but looked frail and his legs were swollen.
"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 some time and has been admitted for two weeks.
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.
