Celebrities Nollywood actor Mr Ibu passes away months after losing his leg
The national president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas, announced that the comedian died of a cardiac arrest, according to his manager, Don Single Nwuzor.

This is the timeline of Mr Ibu’s illness until his death.
October 17, 2023 — Birthday in hospital room

The Nigerian public was largely unaware of Mr Ibu’s health issues until he shared a video of himself celebrating his 62nd birthday inside a hospital room.

In the video, the actor was wearing a hospital gown, visibly in discomfort with a swollen left leg, as his family sang him a birthday song.

Before cutting his birthday cake, the ill actor said a short prayer, including praying for peace. His condition worried fans who flooded the comment section with prayers for him.

October 18, 2023 — Mr Ibu begs for financial assistance

A day after his birthday post, the actor and his family posted another video asking for help to sort out his medical bills.

The actor said he’d been sick for weeks and doctors had suggested the amputation of his leg to save his life. “If they cut off my leg, where will I go to? I don’t want my leg to be cut off,” he said.

His family said the cash donations would help him fly abroad for better treatment, as he’d been ill on and off for years.

October 31, 2023 — Mr Ibu undergoes five surgeries

Mr Ibu’s family announced in late October he had received a lot of help from the public and had gone through five successful surgeries.

The family also expressed hope he would be stable enough to fly abroad for further treatment.

November 6, 2023 — Mr Ibu’s leg is amputated
Mr Ibu’s family announced in November that doctors had to amputate one of the actor’s legs after two additional surgeries, in a bid to save his life.

It was an outcome that was received with sadness by the actor’s fans who had hoped he responded well enough to treatment to avoid the fate he didn’t want.

“This development has been hard on us all but we’ve had to accept it as Daddy’s new reality to keep him alive,” his family said.

The family further noted that the actor was still delicate and needed all the assistance he could get from Nigerians.

December 16, 2023 — Clarification on his condition
In a final official update on his health issues, Mr Ibu’s family noted that he was suffering from “constant clotting of the blood in his leg (diseased blood vessels) and other health challenges,” not diabetes as rumoured.

The family also clarified that only one of his legs was amputated, not both of them, as was reported on social media. The first amputation didn’t completely correct his health predicament so doctors had to amputate the same leg further.

The family also noted he wasn’t flown out of the country as initially planned because doctors determined that he wasn’t fit to fly.

With no further updates from the family for over two months, news of Mr Ibu’s death on March 2 came as a rude shock for many of his fans.

In the hours following the announcement of his death, one of Nollywood’s most popular comedians has received posthumous plaudits for his onscreen career which spanned 40 years

On February 9th, the ‘Elon Musk’ crooner delivered a captivating performance at the 1700-capacity Electric Brixton Hall.

Shallipopi shared intimate moments with his fans, treating them to a repertoire of his greatest hits alongside new releases.

Through his Instagram story, he extended heartfelt appreciation to the supporters and fans who filled the venue.

In his words: “Succesful show, thank you London, the place was packed up, they keep wondering how I’m one step above them but guess we never know.”

Sharing a snippet of the show on his page, Shallipopi expressed joy over the success of the London tour.

He said: “Shalli shalli shalli shalli where have you been? I have been to London to see the queen, queen for what? #ilovelondon.”

Grammy-nominated Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, aka Davido, has vowed not to give up despite missing out on the award.

DAILY POST reports that Davido and other Nigerian nominees were snubbed at the 66th Grammys on Sunday, with Tyla, the only non-Nigerian nominee in the maiden Best African Music Performance category, picking up the award.

The DMW boss also lost his nominations for the Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance categories.

His Grammy loss angered many of his fans who accused the Grammy organisers of complicity.

However, addressing his fans via X, Davido reiterated his love for them, assuring them that he won’t give up as he emphasized that he “will continue to deliver.”

On his X handle, he wrote: “I just want you to feel alright.

“I love each and everyone of you !! We Dey game!! We will continue to deliver.”

Singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage said she was robbed in the London area of England this week.

On Thursday January 18, 2024, the singer said on her Instagram Story that she was robbed while in London.

“Damn London, una show me pepper o. Got robbed yesterday,” her Story post read. The post had her fans worried about her safety and welfare. However, she allayed their fears by making another post saying, “Thanks guys.”

She then made another story post on January 19, 2024, showing her outfit of the day while she prepared to step out. In her caption she focused on her work, saying, “Another day, hustle continues.”

Unfortunately, this is not Svage’s first encounter with robbers. Back in April 2023, there was a robbery attempt at her residence which failed. She confirmed this in an official statement on April 14 via her Instagram page, stating that her home was breached by thieves.

She cleared the air that she and her family were safe and unharmed, adding that some of the dubious individuals were arrested and were held for further investigation at the Alagbon Police Station, Ikoyi.

Savage is not the only celebrity to have been robbed recently. Celebrities have been the target of robbers for many years.

Recall back in 2015, Davido and his manager were robbed of a whopping sum of $55,000 cash while in South Africa. The bandits also made away with two expensive Rolex watches that they had on them at the time. The music superstar shared the bad news with fans via his X account, explaining what happened.

His tweet read, “Thank God for my life…. If not for him.. E for be different story … My daughters face was flashing through my eyes the whole time….”

Thankfully neither him nor his manager were harmed by the bandits

Nollywood actress and media personality Toke Makinwa has described Nigerian men as “the best in the world.”

She said despite her criticisms of Nigerian men, they are better compared to their counterparts around the world, especially the United Kingdom.

Speaking in the latest episode of her podcast, TokeMoments, she said: “No matter how I criticise Lagos boys, Nigerian men are just badly behaved. But I still think Naija men in the pool are still the best around the world.

“What UK girls are going through, I don’t understand. All my cousins in the UK when they tell me their dating stories, it is bad.”

Her guest, Madame Joyce, a British media personality, concorded: “Honestly, it is really bad. And I feel like because we are so used to it, that is just the expectation. In Nigeria here, somebody opened the car door for me, I was like, ‘Wow!’ UK boys barely do that. Chivalry in London is so dead. The guys don’t have much shame. There are still conversations about splitting the bills. It happened to me once.”

The singer said this amid the worsening insecurity across the country.

Reacting to the government’s inability to efficiently protect the lives and properties of the citizens, Okoye advised Nigerians to take security precautions themselves.

Okoye, in a now trending post shared on his social media page, noted that Nigerians will be safer the sooner they accept to be responsible for their own safety.

“The earlier you realize that you are responsible for your own safety in Nigeria, the safer you will be.”

Big Brother Naija reality show star and actress, Josephina Otabor, simply known as Phyna, has revealed that she stopped attending church because of some of the Pope’s reforms, which didn’t sit well with her.

Speaking in the latest episode of her podcast, Spill With Phyna, the reality star explained that she was a staunch Catholic growing up but no longer goes to church due to the Pope’s reform of some Catholic doctrines.

She particularly frowned at the Pope’s recent approval for Catholic priests to “bless” same-sex marriage.

“I stopped going to Church. Initially, I was Catholic; that was my Church growing up, but things come dey go on. Pope don actually pass different kinds of things then wey no really sit right with me but this recent one of man and man fit come marry for not just any Church but Catholic Church, I just tell myself say no need,” Phyna said.

Celebrity stylist and reality star, Toyin Lawani has bemoaned the escalating insecurity and excruciating economic hardship in the country.

Speaking via her Instagram page, Lawani lamented the rate of kidnapping, suicides, and hike in prices of essential consumables and services.

She noted that both businesses and citizens are suffering, stressing that nothing is working in the country.

She wrote: “This is not even a joke anymore. People are being kidnapped from their homes and killed in Nigeria. Imagine you can’t even be safe in your own country.

“Nothing is really working. Businesses are suffering, people are suffering, food Is expensive, transportation is expensive and pay is not going up, Yet people are out of jobs, calamity is befalling us. People are committing suicide daily.

“The future is not bright for our kids except they are in the right family to grow. We all need to start speaking up for our brothers and sisters who have no voice. Nigeria is becoming unsafe and unfruitful. Why?

“To everyone affected in Ibadan, Jos, Abuja, Kaduna etc, May God lift your burdens.”

Mabel raised the alarm in a post on Instagram on Thursday.

According to her, she has been abused mentally for too long and she is on her way to file a report at the station.

She, however, did not name who is subjecting to mental abuse.
“The threat to my life is actually is getting out of hand and if anything happens to me, there is just one person to be held responsible.

“Headed to the police station.

“Been abused mentally and all round for way too long and I have had enough.

The alleged reason behind their rearrest was their purported defiance of Mr Ibu’s instruction to transfer control of all his possessions, including social media accounts, to his wife, Stella Maris.

This development stirred a range of reactions from netizens, with some expressing solidarity with Stella Maris and others questioning Jasmine’s motives and reluctance to relinquish control over Mr Ibu’s assets. In the midst of this family drama, yet unfounded allegations surfaced against Stella Maris, suggesting that she might not handle the funds with the best care emerged.

In response to these allegations, Stella Maris pointed fingers at Jasmine, accusing her of attempting to sow discord in her marriage. She vehemently pledged to address the alleged interference.

Contrary to these disputes, Mr Ibu’s son, Daniel, asserted that he managed his father’s finances as the account’s signatory and next of kin. Both Jasmine and Daniel had previously been cleared of any charges related to the alleged misuse of donated money raised for Mr Ibu’s medical treatment.

These familial tensions unfolded against the backdrop of Mr Ibu’s significant health challenges. The actor recently underwent a second amputation on part of his already amputated leg due to deteriorating health conditions. Dr. Emeka Rollas, the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), confirmed the severity of Mr Ibu’s health issues, highlighting the actor’s struggle to communicate, reaching a point where he could hardly speak. As the family confronts these challenges, the public remains attentive to further developments in this ongoing saga