Police in Nigeria are preparing to charge the chauffeur of British boxing star Anthony Joshua with reckless driving following a horrific crash that claimed the lives of two of his close friends.
Charges Expected Within 48 Hours
The driver, a 47-year-old long-standing member of Joshua's Nigerian logistics team, is expected to be formally charged within the next 48 hours. He was discharged from a Lagos hospital on New Year's Eve after treatment for minor injuries and was then taken to police headquarters in Abeokuta for questioning.
According to a police source cited by the Daily Mail, the driver provided a statement detailing his account of the minutes leading up to the collision. "He is in a stable condition and was able to provide us with his version of events," the source said, noting that the New Year bank holiday may cause a slight delay in proceedings. The driver could potentially appear in court as early as Friday.
Details of the Fatal Collision
The incident occurred on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway in Nigeria's Ogun state. Joshua was travelling in a black Lexus SUV when, according to preliminary investigations by the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, the vehicle was being driven at excessive speed.
Babatunde Akinbiyi, a spokesperson for the agency, stated: "From the preliminary investigation... definitely there was overspeeding on the part of the SUV Anthony Joshua was travelling in. In the course of that, the front tyre on the passenger side burst. That led to loss of control before the vehicle now swerved and rammed into a stationary truck that was parked."
The driver of the parked truck fled the scene and has since been declared wanted by the police.
Boxer Pays Respects as Friends Are Repatriated
The crash resulted in the tragic deaths of Joshua's two friends, Sina Ghami and Kevin Latif Ayodele. Anthony Joshua, who suffered minor injuries in the accident, has been discharged from hospital.
On Wednesday afternoon, the former world heavyweight champion was seen joining his mother to pay their respects to Ghami and Ayodele at a funeral home, ahead of the pair's repatriation to the United Kingdom.
Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom, paid a heartfelt tribute to the two men on Instagram. "With the heaviest of hearts," he wrote. "Two great men. Rest in eternal peace Sina and Latz. My thoughts and deepest prayers are with everyone."
