Days after news of the actor’s death broke, Okafor, who describes himself as a close friend of the deceased actor, wrote an article that cast Obi’s wife and extended family in a negative light.
He claimed that the actor endured constant harassment from his wife’s siblings, which eventually led to the dissolution of their marriage and a decline in Obi’s health.
Speaking for the Nwafor Family, Ugoeze Edith Chinyere Obichuku, and Freda Nwachukwu wrote, “Our attention has been drawn to the publication by one Mr. Zik Zulu Okafor concerning the death of our son, Mr. Obinna Nwafor, popularly known as Saint Obi, and the accompanying negative commentary in social and other media portraying his widow in an unfair and most defamatory manner. This is in no way, shape or form an accurate portrayal of the Lynda that we know and relate with.”
![Saint Obi left the film industry to become a businessman [Vanguard]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'399'%20height%3D'347'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "Saint Obi left the film industry to become a businessman [Vanguard]")
They added that the insensitive and false allegations were made without any input from the family.
In their words, “The Nwafor family also views the said article by Mr. Okafor as sad and most unfortunate. It was neither written in consultation with any member of the family nor authored with our consent or authority. We totally disassociate ourselves from it. The views and allegations contained therein are entirely the opinion of the writer. They are false, malicious and insensitive to the wife, children and entire family he left behind.”
The sisters ended their statement by encouraging the public to respect the family’s privacy during this trying time, adding that the funeral rites will be communicated soon.
“This is a mourning period for the family, and while we appreciate the condolences of friends, fans, and well-wishers, we ask that the family’s privacy be respected at this time. The funeral rites will be communicated to the public in due course,” they added.
The famous Nollywood actor and film director, born Obinna Nwafor, passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 57 at the time of his death.
He reportedly breathed his last in his sister’s home in Jos, Plateau State capital, on Sunday, May 6, 2023.
Saint Obi will be remembered for his remarkable career spanning over 100 movies including Sakobi: the Snake Girl, Festival of Fire, and State of Emergency.
