The driver of the Lexus SUV involved in Anthony Joshua’s fatal car crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Nigeria has been charged with four criminal offences, including dangerous driving causing death. Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, appeared before the Sagamu Magistrates Court on Friday after the collision which claimed two lives and injured heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua on December 29.
Driver charged with four charges after fatal crash involving Anthony Joshua
Kayode is charged with dangerous driving causing death, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care and attention resulting in bodily harm and damage to property, and driving without a valid national driver’s license. The costs are covered by sections 5(1), 6(1), 7(1) and 10(1) of the Federal Highway Act. Spokesperson Oluseyi Babaseyi of the Ogun State Police Command confirmed the allegations during proceedings at the Sagamu Magistrates Court, with the matter adjourned to January 20 for trial.
The magistrate granted Kayode bail in the sum of five million Nigerian naira, approximately $3,480 or £2,578, with two sureties as bail conditions. He remained in custody until these conditions were met.
The crash occurred around 11 a.m. local time in Makun, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Lagos, on the busy corridor linking Nigeria’s two largest cities. Joshua and Kayode were in the Lexus SUV along with two passengers: Sina Ghami, Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach of over a decade, and Latif Ayodele, his personal trainer. The vehicle collided with a stationary truck parked along the road. Ghami and Ayodele were pronounced dead at the scene, while Joshua suffered only minor injuries and was released from hospital hospital on December 31.
Ghami, 36, co-founded Evolve Gym in London and holds a diploma as a certified sports and exercise rehabilitator, specializing in musculoskeletal injuries and corrective exercises. His expertise extended to working with elite athletes in the NFL and NBA. Ayodele, also 36, brought semi-professional football experience to his role as Joshua’s personal trainer and had converted to Islam in 2012, taking the name Abdul Latif. Just hours before the crash, Joshua posted video footage on Instagram of the two playing table tennis together.
Initial investigations by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps revealed that the Lexus exceeded the legal speed limit and lost control while attempting to overtake. However, subsequent findings by the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency revealed a more specific cause: the vehicle was traveling at excessive speed when the passenger side front tire burst, causing the driver to lose control and swerve towards the stationary truck.
Joshua, 36, was born in Watford to British-Nigerian parents and has family roots in Sagamu, the town near the crash site. He had traveled to Nigeria after his sixth round knockout victory Jake Paul on December 19 in Miami, planning to spend the holiday season with family. After being discharged from hospital, he visited a funeral home in Lagos with his mother to pay their last respects to Ghami and Ayodele before returning to the United Kingdom on January 3.
President Bola Tinubu extended his formal condolences to Joshua and the families of the deceased, describing the crash as a tragic loss. Joshua’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing, along with management company 258 MGT, released a joint statement confirming the deaths of “two close friends and integral members” of the boxing team.
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