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A Former Nigerian boxer Jeremiah ‘Jerry’ Okorodudu, who passed away on Wednesday, June 28, reportedly had his corpse withheld by a private hospital in Lagos due to unpaid medical bills amounting to over N600,000.
Okorodudu, aged 64, had been battling foot ulcer and stroke before his demise. Reports indicate that he struggled to meet the expenses of his treatment, leading to complications with his medical bills.
On Thursday, June 22, a week before Okorodudu’s demise, his wife, Atinuke, revealed that her husband owed the hospital a substantial amount.
She explained that the hospital demanded immediate payment of N1 million for medical expenses, warning that failure to comply would result in the patient’s removal from the premises before the weekend.
Atinuke refrained from disclosing the hospital’s name as per the proprietor’s instructions.
In a popular sports WhatsApp group, NSM, an anonymous source also disclosed the boxer’s death, stating that the hospital retained the deceased’s corpse due to unpaid debts incurred during his hospitalization.
Okorodudu’s wife later corroborated the account in an interview with The PUNCH, explaining that the hospital refused to release her husband’s body until an outstanding N600,000 bill was settled.
Jeremiah Okorodudu represented Nigeria in the middleweight category at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games and achieved a gold medal at the Oluyole ’79 National Sports Festival in Ibadan.
The boxer’s health struggles began in 2020 with a boil that impaired his mobility. He underwent a successful surgery at Dans Hospital, Irawo, Ikorodu, Lagos.
However, his condition later worsened when he developed a foot ulcer and experienced a stroke.