Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has returned to the United Kingdom following a tragic car crash in Nigeria that resulted in the deaths of two of his close associates, Sunday PUNCH reports.
Joshua, 36, suffered minor injuries in the accident that killed Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele on Monday, December 29. He was released from the hospital on New Year’s Eve. According to the BBC, Joshua flew back to the UK on Saturday after the incident.
“Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has flown back to the UK after a fatal car crash that killed two of his close friends in Nigeria,” the BBC reported.
Funerals for Ghami and Ayodele are scheduled to be held at the London Central Mosque on Sunday, according to Sky Sports.
The driver of the SUV, 46-year-old Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, has been charged by the Nigerian police with causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a licence, the Ogun State Police Command confirmed. Kayode was released on N5 million bail, with the case adjourned until January 20.
Kayode’s 19-year-old son, Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, defended his father, saying the accident was caused by brake failure and a truck illegally parked on the road.
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“Dad is not a fast driver; he was following the speed limit when the brakes failed,” Ifeoluwa told the Daily Mail.
“He said he was pushing the pedal, but nothing was happening. He’s been driving for Anthony for three years; he’s a good driver. It’s not his fault; if the truck wasn’t parked there illegally, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Joshua’s lawyer, Olalekan Abiodun, explained that the boxer survived the crash partly due to a last-minute change of seats.
“I understand that the journey started in Lagos and that initially Anthony had got into the front seat, but the driver asked him to swap seats,” Abiodun said.
“He did this because Anthony is a big fellow, and he couldn’t see the wing mirror properly, so he asked him to move, and he sat behind the driver. From what I understand, Latif was in front and then changed seats with Anthony.”
The collision occurred on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway near Makun when the Lexus SUV Joshua was traveling in crashed into a stationary truck. The boxer was en route to visit relatives in Sagamu for New Year celebrations, just 10 days after defeating Jake Paul in Miami.
Governors Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State thanked the public for their prayers and support and expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu. Both state governments condoled with the families of the deceased, describing the accident as “painful and deeply unfortunate” and prayed for the souls of Ghami and Ayodele.
Investigations into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.