Ghana boxing body backs Ayitey Powers arrest over death threat

Ghana’s Boxing Interim Management Committee has condemned former boxer Michael Nii Ayitey Okai, known as Ayitey Powers, over an alleged death threat against National Sports Authority Director-General Yaw Ampofo Ankrah. The committee is backing his arrest and possible prosecution by the Ghana Police Service.

In a statement dated August 20, the GBIMC described the alleged social media remarks as unacceptable and criminal. It said threats directed at a public official could not be accepted and urged the police to investigate the matter urgently before taking any appropriate legal action.

The police had been seeking Ayitey Powers in connection with the alleged threat. The former boxer, who also runs Ayitey Powers Promotions, has been involved in an ongoing dispute with the NSA over the administration and regulation of boxing in Ghana.

The disagreement includes a boxing show that Ayitey Powers Promotions had to cancel at short notice after the NSA imposed a temporary suspension on the sport in September last year. Ayitey Powers has claimed that Ankrah promised compensation for money invested in the cancelled event. He has since used social media on several occasions to demand justice from the NSA chief.

The GBIMC also accused Ayitey Powers of repeated online verbal abuse. It cited remarks allegedly directed at committee chairman Samir Captan and vice-chairman Professor Azumah Nelson, although the latest action centres on the alleged threat against Ankrah.

Alongside its call for police action, the interim committee has begun disciplinary proceedings against Ayitey Powers. The GBIMC said it was exercising its mandate to restructure and regulate boxing, and warned that intimidation, thuggery and impunity could not be allowed to control the sport. It also called on boxing stakeholders to support a return to discipline, respect and honour as the administration works through its wider tensions with the NSA.