Police explain Anthony Joshua’s driver’s arrest after boxer’s discharge

The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of Kayode Adeniyi, the 47-year-old driver of the Lexus SUV involved in Monday’s fatal crash that claimed the lives of two close associates of former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua.

Police spokesperson Oluseyi Babaseyi disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Adeniyi, a long-serving member of Joshua’s Nigerian logistics team, was discharged from a Lagos hospital late on New Year’s Eve after receiving treatment for minor injuries. He was subsequently driven to Abeokuta, Ogun State, where the accident occurred, and taken into police custody for questioning.

Police sources said Adeniyi is expected to be charged with reckless driving within 48 hours, although the ongoing bank holiday could delay court proceedings.

“The driver was released after treatment for minor injuries and was then taken to the state police headquarters for questioning. He is in a stable condition and has given his account of events leading to the crash,” a police source told the Daily Mail.

Investigators allege that Adeniyi was driving significantly above the 65mph speed limit on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when a tyre burst during an overtaking manoeuvre near Danco, causing him to lose control of the vehicle.

The Lexus SUV, conveying Joshua and two members of his training team—Sina Ghami, 36, a British national, and Kevin Latif Ayodele, 36, a Nigerian-British—collided with an illegally parked truck loaded with soya beans.

The impact ripped off the nearside of the vehicle, killing Ghami and Ayodele instantly. Joshua, who was seated behind the driver, and Adeniyi sustained only minor injuries. First responders described the boxer’s survival as “miraculous”.

Meanwhile, the Lagos and Ogun state governments on Wednesday announced that Joshua had been discharged from Lagoon Hospital, Ikoyi, after doctors certified him medically fit to continue his recovery at home.

In a joint statement signed by Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, and Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, it was revealed that Joshua and his mother visited a Lagos funeral home on Wednesday to pay their last respects to the deceased.

The bodies of Ghami and Ayodele were flown out of Lagos on a Turkish Airlines cargo flight that landed in Istanbul early on New Year’s Day and are expected to proceed to London.

Governors Abiodun and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State thanked Nigerians for the outpouring of sympathy, prayers and support following the tragedy. They also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for what they described as his fatherly support, and commended the medical team at Lagoon Hospital for their professionalism.

The two state governments again condoled with the families of the deceased, describing the accident as painful and deeply unfortunate.

According to the Daily Mail, the driver of the truck allegedly parked illegally at the scene has gone into hiding, prompting an active police manhunt.

Joshua and his associates had arrived in Nigeria earlier on Monday on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London. A baggage handler at the airport, identified as Solomon, recalled that the group appeared cheerful on arrival.

“They were all smiling and laughing and joking as they walked through. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the news a few hours later that he had been involved in a fatal accident,” he said.

Several Super Eagles stars, including Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Bright Osayi-Samuel, have since sent messages of support to Joshua following the crash.