Trial begins for driver in Anthony Joshua car crash
The man who was driving Anthony Joshua’s car when it crashed in Nigeria last December, claiming the lives of two members of the boxer’s entourage, has gone on trial accused of causing death by dangerous driving, reports BritPanorama.
Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, faces additional charges of operating a vehicle without a valid national driving licence. He has denied all counts against him.
The fatal collision occurred on 29 December on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Makun, just days after Joshua’s victory over Jake Paul in Miami. Joshua’s personal trainer Latif Ayodele and his strength and conditioning coach Sina Ghami were both killed in the accident.
The Watford-born heavyweight champion, who has family roots in Ogun State near the crash site, was hospitalised following the incident. The court heard that the group had been en route to visit Joshua’s father when the collision took place. Kayode reportedly lost control of his Lexus SUV whilst attempting to pass a moving truck, subsequently striking a stationary lorry.
Joshua and his companions are said to have been asleep at the moment of impact. The driver of the parked lorry, Abubakar Adamu, 35, has also appeared before the court. He faces a single charge of obstructing the free flow of traffic, which he denies.
Inspector Christopher Ajayi Taiwo of the Ogun State Motor Traffic Division told the court that both the damaged Lexus and the stationary lorry had already been cleared from the scene by the time officers arrived. Scattered debris and soya beans from the lorry’s cargo were the only remaining evidence at the site.
The sole items recovered from Joshua’s vehicle were a logbook, painkillers, and an energy drink, all found near the driver’s side. Perhaps most strikingly, the court learned that police have still not obtained a statement from Joshua himself regarding the incident.
Under cross-examination by Kayode’s defence lawyer, Ajayi was pressed on this omission. The inspector responded that “efforts are ongoing” but conceded he had not been in contact with the former two-time unified heavyweight champion because he “didn’t have his number.”
The trial has been adjourned until 10 September, more than eight months after the crash that claimed two lives. Following the incident, Joshua paid tribute to his fallen friends on social media, expressing their importance in his life. He later broke down in tears during a bout against Kristian Penga in July, honouring Ayodele and Ghami with pendants bearing their names.
Joshua’s poignant tribute underscores the deep impact of loss, reminding us how the ring can reflect the emotional weight of life outside it.
