The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA), Mohammed Amin Lamptey, has revealed that the Ministry of Sports and Recreation has played no role in the repatriation of Nigerian boxer Olarewaju Success, who tragically died earlier this year.
Success passed away on March 29, 2025, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after collapsing during a bout held in Ghana earlier this year.
According to Adams, the GBA has handled every aspect of the repatriation process independently, without any financial or logistical support from the Ministry.
“The Ministry (Sports) is not part of it the minister Kofi Adams) himself came out to make it clear to the public that the Ministry is not part of the process because they did not really invite the boxer to come and box in this country. It is an international contest, Ghana Boxing Authority is under the Government of Ghana.”
“It’s under the Ministry of Sports so we were surprised that the Minister could say this. So all the things that I’ve mentioned, the processes that we’ve gone through, all the financial injections that we had, it was borne by the Ghana Boxing Authority.”
Gabriel Success Olarewaju , the Nigerian Boxer who passed away after the bout with Jon Mbanagu.
“Part of it was borne by the promoter or civil boxing management so the Ministry has not really intervened in any of the processes.”
The committee set up to investigate the Nigerian boxer’s death
Remember, he [the Sports Minister] set up a committee without collaborating with the Ghana Boxing Authority, majority of the people who were even invited to the committee to give their views and opinions, most of them were not at the boxing night.”
The body of Oluwasegun Success is expected to be repatriated to Nigeria in the coming days.