Former Ghanaian boxer Michael Ayitey Okai, popularly known as Ayitey Powers, has shared emotional details about his recent remand after he allegedly threatened the life of National Sports Authority (NSA) Director-General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.

Ayitey Powers said his financial difficulties stem partly from his decision to invest his resources into boxing promotion, despite gaining international recognition through his career as a professional boxer.

He explained that he is still renting a house in Accra and has invested much of his money into boxing promotions. According to him, he had received information that the government was considering a ban on boxing events in the country.

“As you see me, I am not done building still. I am still renting, and maybe next month I have to pay my bills. You see, the money that I am investing in the promotion, I can use it to finish my house. But the question is, if I finish my house, would I get something to eat? But if I invest in such things and I get profit, I can use it to build the house,” he said.

He said he subsequently contacted the Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, who denied having knowledge of any decision to halt boxing activities.

Ayitey Powers said he later contacted the NSA Director-General, Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, who also assured him that no such development was imminent.

According to him, after all the necessary arrangements had been made and the programme was set, foreign boxers arrived in the country ahead of the event.

However, he said that just a day before the scheduled event, the government announced the cancellation of boxing activities in the country.

“All the foreigners were in and were in hotels, and everything was set. Just one day before the programme, I saw a letter that boxing was cancelled. I called Ampofo, and he said I shouldn’t talk because it is from above,” he said.

Ayitey Powers said he was disappointed by the development and contacted Yaw Ampofo Ankrah over the money he had invested in the event.

He said the NSA Director-General assured him that he would be paid the money he had spent on the event. However, according to him, Ampofo Ankrah kept delaying the payment, while other individuals who had also invested money in the event continued to demand their funds.

He said some of the investors accused him of taking their money and spending it, a situation which, he said, left him frustrated and eventually led to the alleged threat against the NSA Director-General.

Ayitey Powers said he later apologised for his comments but was subsequently arrested.

He also recounted an incident involving his foreign wife, who, according to him, once fainted and had to be taken to the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) for treatment.

He said the medical bill amounted to about GH¢1,400 but he did not have enough money to settle it.

According to him, he was only able to pay GH¢400 and had to plead with the doctor for more time to settle the outstanding amount.

“I didn’t have any money on me, so I paid only GH¢400 and told the doctor that I would pay the rest. But he called several times and I told him, ‘I don’t have money.’ So, he had to forgive me the money for free,” he said.

Ayitey Powers also described his experience in custody after he was taken to court and subsequently remanded.

He said he was treated poorly while in custody and struggled with the conditions under which he was held.

“What I passed through in that remand, we were treated like animals. For me, I can’t be in my own house for four hours without going out. So just imagine being in one place for all that long. If not for God, I would have come out mad,” he said.

“We were treated like animals” — Ayitey Powers recounts his altercation with Yaw Ampofo Ankrah and experience on remand #ATUU #UTVGhana pic.twitter.com/JpnjktHCjI

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) September 26, 2026