The driver of vehicle involved in the car that injured Anthony Joshua and killed two of the boxer’s best friends could face prosecution for reckless driving, we can reveal.
Police have received a statement from the local driver, who had been hired for the trip, after he was discharged from hospital.
‘Anthony Joshua’s driver has been discharged from the hospital, and he is currently giving his statement,’ a spokesperson of the Nigerian Police Force, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, told the Daily Mail.
Sources in Nigeria say driver of the truck also involved in the crash has been declared wanted, after they reportedly fled from the scene immediately after.
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Joshua is seeing in the New Year in Nigeria’s best hospital, accompanied by his parents.
Joshua’s long-time friends Sina Ghami and Kevin Latif Ayodele were killed in the crash after the car ploughed into a stationary truck on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Makun, Nigeria.
Babatunde Akinbiyi, a spokesperson for Ogun State’s Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, confirmed a preliminary investigation into the crash has been conducted.
The investigation has concluded that the car had been ‘speeding’, with the front tyre on the passenger side then bursting, causing the driver to lose control.
‘From the preliminary investigation that was conducted, definitely there was overspeeding on the part of the SUV Anthony Joshua was travelling in,’ Akinbiyi told reporters.
‘In the course of that, the front tyre on the passenger side burst.
‘That led to loss of control before the vehicle now swerved and rammed into the stationary truck that was parked. There was excessive speed.’
After the fatal road collision, Joshua was rushed to the Duchess International Hospital in Lagos, which has been rated the best private hospital in Nigeria for the past two years.
Local police told Daily Mail Sport that Joshua is ‘stable’ and suffered only ‘minor’ injuries, although there are fears they could be more severe than publicised.
Sources say that Joshua is set to remain in hospital for at least a couple more days while he continues to recuperate.
An eyewitness told Punch newspaper: ‘It was a two-vehicle convoy: a Lexus SUV and a Pajero SUV.
‘Joshua was seated behind the driver, with another person beside him. There was also a passenger sitting beside the driver, making four occupants in the Lexus that crashed. His security detail was in the vehicle behind them before the crash.
‘Other eyewitnesses and I began the rescue and flagged down oncoming vehicles to assist. A few minutes after the crash, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps arrived.’
Footage taken at the roadside showed the boxer grimacing in agony as he was moved from the wrecked vehicle into a police cruiser.
Nigeria’s president revealed on Monday that Joshua’s mother Yeta Odusanya had rushed to his bedside at the hospital after being informed of the crash.
The luxury hospital boasts an elite service dubbed the Harley Street Practice, located on the sixth floor, which offers Duchess Royal Suites for VIP patients.
Patients receive one-to-one care 24-hours a day and have access to medical personnel and hospitality staff. They also receive gourmet meals fully catered to their taste.
The basic packages for the Royal Suite with ensuite bathroom facilities starts at £2,000.
A representative of Joshua issued a statement on Monday evening confirming the deaths of the boxer’s two team members and ‘close friends’.
The spokesman said: ‘It is with the deepest and most profound sadness that we confirm, following a road traffic accident in Lagos, Nigeria earlier today, the death of Sina Ghami and Kevin “Lateef” Ayodele.
‘Both were close friends and integral members of Anthony’s team.
‘We respectfully ask that space and privacy be given to the families at this time while they process this truly shocking and devastating news.
‘Anthony sustained injuries in the accident and was taken to hospital for checks and treatment, he is in a stable condition and will remain there for observation.
‘No further information will be made available at this time.’
The crash, which occurred at midday local time, came just 10 days after Joshua defeated Jake Paul in Miami.
As reported by the Daily Mail on Monday, Joshua had been visiting family in Nigeria as part of a one-week holiday, with a view to resuming training ahead of a fight in late March, most likely in Saudi Arabia against the kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, prior to his proposed showdown against Fury in September or October.
