Olympic athlete Okorodudu passes away; hospital seizes body over unpaid N.6m

Jeremiah “Jerry” Okorodudu, a former boxer from Nigeria, passed away on Wednesday night at a private hospital in Lawandon, Lagos, after weeks of bed rest due to a foot ulcer.

The news of Okorodudu’s passing was confirmed by his wife, Adenike.

Adenike claimed that the hospital would not release her husband’s body until the unpaid N600,000 medical bill was settled.

“He is dead now, but we still need to pay N600,000 to get his body out of the hospital,” said Adenike.

His age was 64.

The Olympian was reportedly feeling better last week after being transferred from a number of hospitals, primarily because of a lack of funding, before being brought to the Lawanson hospital.

The Olympian’s demise was also confirmed by Remi Aboderin, president of the West Africa Boxing Union, and the secretary general of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control.

“It is accurate that he died. After you called, I checked with some colleagues, and I just confirmed it,” said Aboderin.

It’s tragic that he passed away in this manner, and I’m at a loss for words. He said, “May his soul rest in peace.

Azania Omo-Agege, vice president of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, revealed that he had sent his wife some money on Tuesday to cover the former boxer’s medical expenses.

“On Tuesday, I just sent them money. We were preparing to amputate (his leg) on Friday, so I sent them N100,000. This is very sad, he said.

At the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984, Okorodudu competed as a representative of Nigeria in the middleweight division.

At the Oluyole 1979 National Sports Festival in Ibadan, he won the gold medal.

In 2020, he developed a mobility-impairing boil infection, which started his current medical situation. Then, at Dans Hospital in Ikorodu, Lagos, he underwent a successful operation.

But after being told he had a foot ulcer and had a stroke, his health deteriorated again.