The remains of late Nigerian boxer Olanrewaju Gabriel Oluwasegun, popularly known as “Success,” will arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, nearly three months after his tragic death in Ghana.
The body is expected to arrive at approximately 4:00 PM WAT and will be transported directly to the Honda Playing Ground in Otta, Ogun State.
There, a series of ceremonies will be held in his honour, including a boxing demonstration by members of the Nigerian boxing community and a candlelight vigil that will continue through the night. He will be laid to rest the following day.
The Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBBofC) confirmed the arrangements in a letter dated June 10, 2025, addressed to the President of the Ghana Boxing Authority.
Signed by NBBofC president Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, the letter stated that the repatriation had been finalised after talks involving the General Secretary Remi Aboderin and Ghanaian boxing officials.
“Based on your call and discussion with my good self Dr. Rafiu Oladipo, and the General Secretary Hon. Remi Aboderin, we have informed the above deceased boxer’s family and have agreed to receive his remains (corpse) on Tuesday, 17th of June 2025,” the letter read.
The NBBofC stated that the timing was intended to give the family enough room to prepare, and that the body would proceed directly to burial, with no need for additional mortuary services.
The board also requested that the remains be returned in a casket, rather than a body bag, and urged Ghanaian authorities to provide the boxer’s fight purse and compensation for the loss.
Olanrewaju collapsed during a light-heavyweight bout with Ghana’s Jon Mbanugu on March 29, 2025, during Fight Night 15 at the Bukom Boxing Arena in Accra.
He was later pronounced dead at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. His sudden death shocked the Nigerian boxing community and triggered widespread calls for a review of safety standards in Ghanaian boxing.
The repatriation process was delayed due to legal and diplomatic procedures, including the need for a coroner’s report.
FKA/EB
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