Sports & Recreation Ministry to investigate death of Nigerian boxer

Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has promised to investigate the death of Nigerian boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju.

Olanrewaju died after a sudden stoppage in the third round of his fight against Ghana’s Jonathan Mbanugu. This match took place at the Bukom Boxing Arena on Saturday.

Adams spoke on Accra-based Sporty FM. He said, "We have begun the process. We need to form a committee to look into what happened." He assured that nothing would be hidden and all necessary questions would be asked.

He hopes both Nigerian and Ghanaian sides will cooperate with the investigation team.

Since this tragic event, both the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBBC) and the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) have claimed they are not at fault.

On Monday, March 31, the GBA rejected allegations of negligence. They stated that "Oluwasegun was declared medically fit by the Nigeria Boxing Board Control before we approved the fight."

Later that day, NBBC accused GBA of making a serious mistake. They explained that Olanrewaju initially refused to fight due to payment issues.

"He wanted more money, but they wouldn't pay it," they said. Eventually, he was taken back to his hotel instead of fighting.

However, after receiving an offer for extra payment, he returned for the fight on Saturday night in Ghana.

Oluremi Aboderin from NBBC criticized GBA's decision. He said they should not have allowed him to fight under those circumstances.

"The rules state you must weigh in on Thursday and fight Friday," he added. "This is where GBA made a big mistake."

Adams confirmed these concerns will be addressed after the investigation concludes.