Armed robbers have made away with well over N8 million worth of wristwatches from the Lagos residence of popular Nollywood comic actor John Okafor, more famously known as Mr. Ibu.
The multi-millionaire actor was said to have suffered this and many more losses when opportunistic armed robbers spotted an offensive when the comedian’s Ajah residence was being renovated and a burglary proof was yet to be fully installed.
The armed robbers held Okafor’s wife, grandmother, housemaid, and children hostage while they ransacked his mansion and gathered a small fortune.
Tally of properties missing from the robbery, according to sources with knowledge of the matter, include a dozen expensive watches, huge sums of cash, electronics, phones, jewelry, and fashion items.
A source connected to the actor spoke to journalists about the incident.
He said, “Okafor was renovating his house and the burglar-proof bar that was not fixed that day was where they came in through. Twelve wristwatches, money, all the phones and laptops in the house, shoes, and clothes were stolen. I cannot place a value on the stolen property; just three of the wristwatches are worth N6.5m. The armed robbers broke into his room as well. They took everything in his room.
“When it happened, we had traveled to the east for some New Year social functions. I guess the armed robbers knew none of the men was around. His wife, children, grandmother, and maid were at home. The armed robbers were more than six in number.
“They took the wife’s ATM cards and forced her to release the PINs. Since they left with the phones in the house, she does not have anything to get debit alerts. We have blocked the accounts today (Monday). But since the incident happened on Saturday and banks don’t open on Saturdays and Sundays, we don’t know what could have happened in the intervening period.”