Nigerian police charge Anthony Joshua driver with dangerous driving after fatal crash

Driver of car involved in fatal crash while transporting British boxer Anthony Joshua was charged by the Nigerian Police with “reckless driving” and “dangerous driving causing death”.

Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was also charged with “driving without a valid national driver’s license” and “driving without due care and attention, causing bodily harm and property damage”, Ogun State police spokesperson Oluseyi Babaseyi told Agence France-Presse.

His bail was set at five million naira, or about $3,500, with two sureties, but he will remain in custody until he fulfills his bail conditions, the police spokesperson said. Kayode’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 20.

Road accidents are common in Nigeria. The West African country recorded 5,421 deaths in 9,570 road accidents in 2024, according to data from its Federal Road Safety Commission. CBS News previously reported.

Kayode was driving Joshua, a former two-time heavyweight champion, and two friends in a Lexus SUV on a busy highway linking Lagos and Ibadan, in southwest Nigeria, on December 29. The vehicle collided with a stationary truck.

The Traffic Enforcement and Enforcement Agency for the section of the Ogun State highway where the accident occurred told AFP earlier in the week that its preliminary investigations showed that the vehicle was traveling at excessive speed and that a tire had burst before the collision.

Joshua’s friends, identified as Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, died at the scene, police said. Ghami was Joshua’s longtime strength and conditioning coach, while Ayodele was his personal trainer, according to British media reports. Joshua and Ayodele had posted videos of themselves playing table tennis on social media just hours before the accident.

Joshua and Kayode suffered minor injuries, officials said. Photos taken after the crash showed Joshua sitting in the back of the car, shirtless and surrounded by broken glass, but apparently unharmed.

Joshua’s promoter said he was kept under observation at Lagoon Hospital in Lagos while recovering from minor injuries and was released on New Year’s Eve.

Joshua was born in Britain to Nigerian parents and often visits the African country. The accident occurred nine days after he beat YouTube personality Jake Paul in a non-title fight in Miami.