How I was attacked in Ikorodu after being mistaken for Naira Marley’s dad – Jude Chukwuka

The actor-turned-singer Jude Chukwuka has talked candidly about a near-death encounter he had in Ikorodu, Lagos.

The actor stated in an interview on Seun Oloketuyi TV that he was attacked by some Ikorodu locals who thought he was Naira Marley’s father.

He said the incident happened a few months after Mohbad, a former signee of Naira Marley’s Marlian Music, passed away.

Following Mohbad’s death in September 2023, Marlian Music, Naira Marley, and promoter Sam Larry became the targets of intense criticism and claims of abuse.

Chukwuka, who had publicly declared himself a “Marlian” and received financial support from Naira Marley after miming his hit song ‘Mafo,’ revealed that he was attacked by a mob while on a movie shoot in Ikorodu.

The 59-year-old actor recounted that the attackers claimed he was Naira Marley’s father, and despite his attempts to correct them, some insisted that he was related to  through a maternal connection.

“It was so bad that three years ago I went to shoot in Ikorodu and the boys came with machetes. And they said your son killed Mohbad,” he said.

“And I said he is Azeez Fashola and I am Jude Chukwuka. How are we related? He is from Abeokuta. I am from Delta state. Some people were even saying our mothers are related.”

Chukwuka expressed his disappointment that the speculation had negatively impacted Naira Marley’s career.

He also criticized the public’s reaction to Mohbad’s death, stating that it was “an attack on Naira Marley’s person and that people took advantage of the situation to gain popularity”.

“It hurt me that that situation killed the career of an interesting person,” he added.