Anthony Joshua’s Driver Charged After Fatal Crash
Anthony Joshua’s driver tried to overtake another vehicle moments before ploughing into a stationary lorry in the crash that killed two of the boxer’s close friends, a court has heard.
Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami – long-standing members of Joshua’s inner circle and part of his training team – died at the scene on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Makun, Ogun State, on December 29. Joshua survived and was taken to hospital.
Overtake move before fatal impact
In court, prosecutors alleged that the driver, 46-year-old Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, attempted to overtake a moving truck before smashing into a lorry parked at the roadside. The group, the court was told, had been sleeping in the vehicle when the collision happened as they travelled to visit Joshua’s father in Ogun, near Lagos.
The journey came just days after Joshua had stopped former YouTuber Jake Paul in a high-profile bout in Miami, Florida, a lucrative win that briefly lifted his career before tragedy struck away from the ring.
Kayode faces charges of causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a valid licence. He denies both.
Ayodele, Joshua’s personal trainer, and Ghami, his strength coach, were pronounced dead at the scene. Joshua was rushed to hospital in the aftermath of the crash.
Second driver also in the dock
The case does not centre on Kayode alone. The court heard that the driver of the stationary lorry, 35-year-old Abubakar Adamu, has also been charged – this time with obstructing the free flow of traffic. He, too, denies the allegation.
By the time officers from the Ogun State Motor Traffic Division arrived, both vehicles had already been removed, Inspector Christopher Ajayi Taiwo told the court. At the crash site, police recovered a logbook, painkillers and an energy drink near the driver’s side, Inspector Ajayi added.
One detail drew particular scrutiny. Local police have not yet taken a statement from Joshua himself. When Kayode’s lawyer pressed Inspector Ajayi on why that had not happened, the officer replied that he “didn’t have his number”.
The hearing has been adjourned until September 10, with the case set to resume then.
Joshua’s grief in the spotlight
The consequences of that night have been visible in Joshua’s public life ever since. In July, after his victory over Kristian Prenga, the two-time unified heavyweight champion tried to pay tribute to Ayodele and Ghami in the ring. The words barely came. Joshua broke down in tears as he attempted to speak about the two men who had helped shape his career.
A month earlier, he had outlined his determination to support the families left behind.
“My goal is to help their families and to help them achieve their goals, even though they may not be here in the physical. I will be saying my prayers, and I’m going to help them fulfill their dreams for their families.
“It’s not only me though helping. There’s a whole team working on that stuff. There is a whole system that will be helping fulfill their legacy, fulfill their dreams. But I know in my corner of the world, I know what I’m doing, and I know what we’re gonna do to continue there.”
As the legal process edges on towards September, the heavyweight’s world remains split in two: the noise and lights of the ring on one side, and a courtroom in Ogun trying to unpick the seconds that ended two lives on the other.
