Nigerian comic actor, movie director, and producer, Charles Inojie has described the death of his colleague, John Ikechukwu Okafor popularly known as Mr Ibu, as an “irreplaceable loss” to Nigeria’s Nollywood industry.

He pointed out that the late veteran Nigerian actor and comedian is beyond comparison in Nollywood, and that employing him alone was enough to make a movie a success.

According to a current interview with Channels TV, Inojie said, “There are sometimes you lose a person in an industry and you say, well, so or so a person would replace him. But Mr Ibu is irreparable. Mr Ibu spares every part of his body.

“He is most likely one of the few individuals in Africa that would sit without talking and communicate a million messages with his facial expressions, and gestures without uttering one word. That doesn’t come cheap. We are going to miss that.

“You have John Ikechukwu [Okafor], you have a blockbuster.”

The 62-year-old John Ikechukwu Okafor was confirmed dead by the National President, Actors Guild of Nigeria, Mr Emeka Rollas, on Saturday, March 3, 2024.

John Okafor was introduced to the Nigerian movie industry in 1978, when he surfaced in a soap opera commercial. He came into limelight in 2004 in one of the movies he appeared in titled, Mr Ibu, which gave him the famous nickname. He has since featured in about 200 movies including Mr.Ibu in London (2004), 9 Wives (2005), Ibu in Prison (2006), Police Recruit (2003), and Keziah (2007).