•Anthony Joshua and the coffins of his two dead friends at the airport enroute London, today
Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has returned to the United Kingdom following a fatal car crash in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his close friends and team members.
Joshua sustained minor injuries in the incident that killed Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele on Monday, December 29.
The 36-year-old boxer was discharged from the hospital on New Year’s Eve.
According to the UK publication BBC today, Joshua has now flown back home following the tragic 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 report read.
The funerals of Ghami and Ayodele are scheduled to take place at the London Central Mosque tomorrow, Sky Sports reports.
The driver of the car involved in the crash, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, has been charged by Nigerian police with causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a licence, the Ogun State Police Command confirmed on Friday.
Kayode was granted bail in the sum of N5 million and remanded pending the fulfilment of his bail conditions. The case has been adjourned until January 20.
The driver’s 19-year-old son, Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, publicly defended his father, insisting the accident was caused by brake failure and an illegally parked truck.
“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.”
Kayode’s lawyer, Olalekan Abiodun, revealed that Joshua miraculously survived the crash due to a last-minute seat change.
“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 told the Daily Mail.
“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.”
Joshua was a passenger in a Lexus SUV that collided with a stationary truck on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway near Makun. He was on his way to visit relatives in Sagamu for New Year celebrations at the time of the collision.
The crash occurred just 10 days after Joshua’s knockout victory over Jake Paul in Miami.
Governors Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State expressed appreciation to members of the public for their prayers and support following the incident. They also conveyed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his support during the period.
The two state governments commiserated with the families of the deceased, describing the incident as painful and deeply unfortunate. They prayed that Almighty God would grant the souls of the departed eternal rest.
Police investigations into the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash are ongoing.
