Ghana’s Ministry of Youth and Sports has confirmed that the body of Nigerian boxer, Segun Olanrewaju, will soon be returned to Nigeria. According to Ghana’s Sports Minister, Kofi Adams, all necessary clearances have now been completed for the process to begin.
Adams explained that the delay in returning the boxer’s remains was due to legal procedures required after his death.
“The body wasn’t held without reason. Due to the nature of his death, a coroner's report was needed before anything could move forward,” Adams told The Punch.
He added that the report took time and delayed the investigation committee’s work, but it has now been submitted. With this development, both Ghana and Nigeria’s boxing authorities are now cleared to proceed with the repatriation.
Adams also stated that the ministry is ready to support both boxing bodies once a date is agreed upon.
“I’ve been informed that talks are ongoing between the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) and their Nigerian counterparts, and once a date is fixed, we will assist however we can,” he added.
Wonder Mandel, administrative assistant to the minister, also confirmed that efforts are in place to speed up the process.
“The GBA, the Ministry of Sports, and the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana are working together to finalise everything. The goal is to ensure Segun’s body is sent back home with dignity as soon as possible,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Remi Aboderin, expressed relief at the progress made.
“We’re happy this is finally coming to a close. It was a tragic situation, but we hope everything will be completed by the end of the week so the body can return home,” Aboderin said.
Segun Olanrewaju, known in the ring as “Success,” died on March 29 after collapsing during a match against Ghanaian boxer Jon Mbanugu at the Trust Sports Emporium in Bukom. He was pronounced dead at the Korle-Bu Hospital.
A government-appointed committee in Ghana later revealed that Olanrewaju had an existing heart condition and that the GBA failed to follow safety rules. Shockingly, the report said there was no licensed doctor present at the venue when the incident happened.
One of the committee members, veteran boxing journalist Ekow Asmah, criticised the GBA’s negligence.
“There was no doctor. That alone is enough reason not to allow the fight,” Asmah said. “Olanrewaju didn’t even undergo the required medical checks before the fight. The person who entered the ring wearing a lab coat was not a doctor — he was an impostor.”
The committee’s 100-page report has recommended that the Ghanaian government take full responsibility for the repatriation and cover all funeral costs.
