The video of a Cameroonian woman claiming to be the biological mother of renowned Nollywood actress Mercy Johnson has surfaced online.
In the video, the woman narrated the tragic circumstances which according to her led to her separation from Mercy who she said was named Magdalene and her brother at ages 4 and 6.
She narrated that she got married to a Nigerian from Kogi state and had three children with him.
She was pregnant with her fourth child when her mother came from Cameroon to inform her about her father who was critically sick and wanted to see his grandchildren before passing.
Her husband told her to go with the last child, leaving Mercy Johnson and her elder brother Martin Ngei with their father and a certain woman.
She has been moving to and fro Nigeria for over 30 years to find her kids, but to no avail.
“My mother left Cameroon to come and visit us in Nigeria. During the visit, she told us that my father is very sick and will love to see me, his grandchildren, and my husband before he dies.
” Since my husband could not afford transport for everyone, I decided to embark on the journey back to Cameroon with my unborn child,” narrated the woman in the video.
In her absence, her husband stayed behind and left the kids under the care of another woman whom she identified as Pauline.
However, the man did not return from the trip as he was involved in a fatal accident in which he died.
“After I buried my father, I never heard from my husband again. I sent messages upon messages all to no avail. My family advised me to stay back after the burial and give birth since I couldn’t journey back with the heavy pregnancy…. exactly one month after I put to birth, I had to abandon the baby into my mother’s hands to rush back to Nigeria and look for my family. I looked for my kids everywhere in Nigeria but didn’t see them,” she further narrates.
According to her, she spent sleepless nights under uncompleted buildings since she could not afford hotels while touring unknown areas to look for her children.
She was equally not able to trace the said Pauline with whom her husband allegedly left the kids before traveling.
She claims that when she finally found Mercy, the actress asked for a DNA test to confirm her story. She went to the hospital and met with Mercy’s husband, Prince Okojie.
She added that Mercy’s husband denied knowing her and said she was not the person whom he paid Mercy’s bride price to.
She told him that she was not there to take his wife away from him. Prince Okojie agreed to pay for the DNA test but told her to take care of her own bills.
The woman found this embarrassing as she had spent all her money on transportation costs to Nigeria.
She insisted that she was not after Mercy’s money because she has been surviving on her own all these years.
She also revealed that Mercy’s birth name is Ngei Magdalene and that she was born in 1982. She is willing to take the DNA test.
“One day Mercy called me that if I can prove that I’m really her mother I should come over to Nigeria. Without hesitation, I packed some little belongings and embarked on the journey. While in Nigeria, we agreed to make a blood test,” the woman stated in the video.
When Mercy Johnson’s husband arrived at the hospital, he began questioning the woman, reminding her that she is not the one who collected Mercy Johnson’s bride price from him, ” I am not here to take away your wife. I’m here just to connect myself with my children,” she responded to him.
He however went on to insist that he will only take care of Mercy Johnson’s bill and not hers. A move that she considered disrespectful as she did not have enough money at the said moment to take care of her bills.
Mercy Johnson was raised by Daniel Johnson, a former naval officer, and his wife Mrs Elizabeth Johnson.
While his wife passed away two years back, Daniel Johnson was laid to rest recently.
