Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams has announced plans to establish a committee in the coming days to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Nigerian boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju at the Bukom Boxing Arena on Saturday.
The Minister’s statement follows a request on Monday by the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBBC), led by its President Dr. Rafiu Oladipo, for an autopsy report from the Ghana Boxing Authority after the boxer passed away at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
According to the Sports Minister, no detail will be overlooked, urging both the Ghana Boxing Authority and the NBBC to cooperate fully in the investigation to address conflicting reports that have emerged over the past few days.
The Sports Minister said this in an interview with Sporty FM yesterday
We have only begun the process, we need to institute a committee of a sort to go into what happened, i have assured all that nothing will be covered, we will ask all the questions that must be asked.
We hope that both the Ghanaian side and the Nigerian side will cooperate with the team that will be put in place to investigate this matter.
The President of the Nigerian Boxing Board and Control, the General Secretary have also spoken, we will take note of all that has been said and again the Ghana side have also spoken, they have their statement signed by Amin Lamptey and that will serve as guide plus other information that have been gathered.
Before the interview, the Sports Ministry issued a statement expressing profound sadness and offering condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Nigerian boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju, as well as the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBBC) and the international boxing community.
The Ministry stated it is awaiting an official medical report on the cause of his death while pledging full cooperation with the Ghana Boxing Authority to investigate the incident and improve athlete safety measures.
Minister Kofi Iddie Adams concluded by praying for peace for Olanrewaju’s soul and urging unity in supporting those affected by the tragedy.