Anthony Joshua suffered injuries in a fatal crash which killed two of his close friends and team members in Nigeria on Monday, as their car collided with a truck on an expressway
17:25, 04 Jan 2026Updated 17:25, 04 Jan 2026
Anthony Joshua was a passenger in the crash(Image: Credit: Adeniyi Orojo)
An eyewitness has revealed that Anthony Joshua wasn’t able to speak in the minutes after being involved in a fatal car crash. Boxing star Joshua was a passenger in the Lexus SUV which collided with a stationary truck on a major expressway near Lagos, Nigeria on Monday.
The collision resulted in the deaths of two of Joshua’s close friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele. Their funerals took place on Sunday at a mosque in London.
On Friday, the driver of the SUV, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, was charged at Sagamu Magistrates’ Court. Joshua, 36, was released from hospital on Wednesday after suffering minor injuries.
An eyewitness, Ajala Yusuf, watched Joshua being pulled from the car and revealed what he saw to Sky News. “He was shocked at the deadliness of the incident,” Yusuf began. “He was shocked. He couldn’t talk.”
He added: “We heard a noise, boom. We thought it was one of those trucks whose tyre had burst. We then saw a car drive under a truck that was parked on the highway, and we rushed down to see what had happened.”
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It’s emerged in the days since the tragic incident that Joshua initially sat in the front seat of the vehicle, but he was asked to move to the back by the driver. After Kayode was charged, his lawyer told the Mail: “My client has pleaded not guilty and what happened was an accident.
“I haven’t had a full chance to speak with him yet but I know he is saying the brakes did not work. I also 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.
“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.”
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A statement from the local police force read: “The Ogun State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that the driver of the Lexus SUV involved in the Anthony Joshua accident case, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode (male), aged 46, was charged to the Sagamu Magistrate Court today, 2nd January 2026 and the case has been adjourned to 20th January, 2026.”
Born in Watford, Joshua has Nigerian heritage and family roots in the town of Sagamu, near to where the crash took place. A family member said that the former world heavyweight champion was on his way to visit relatives to celebrate New Year.
Joshua had been spending time in Nigeria following his recent fight. He beat American YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul last month.