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The bodies of two men killed in a road traffic collision involving boxer Anthony Joshua have been flown out of Nigeria, police and airline sources have confirmed.
Sina Ghami and Kevin Latif Ayodele, both members of Joshua’s training and support team and long-time friends of the heavyweight champion, died in a crash on the Lagos–Ibadan expressway on Monday. Their coffins were transported from Lagos on a Turkish Airlines cargo flight that landed in Istanbul in the early hours of New Year’s Day and are expected to continue on to London.
The two men had arrived in Nigeria just hours earlier with Joshua on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London. Airport staff recalled the group appearing relaxed and in good spirits as they passed through arrivals before setting off by road.
Police say the vehicle, a Lexus driven by Joshua’s chauffeur Kayode Adeniyi, 47, was involved in a high-speed incident after a reported tyre burst during an overtaking manoeuvre. The car subsequently collided with an illegally parked truck on the hard shoulder carrying soya beans. Ghami and Ayodele, who were travelling with Joshua, were pronounced dead at the scene.
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Joshua, who was seated behind the driver, and Adeniyi both survived with minor injuries. Local first responders described Joshua’s survival as “miraculous.”
Adeniyi was treated in hospital in Lagos before being taken to Ogun State Police Headquarters in Abeokuta for questioning. Nigerian police sources have said he is expected to be charged with reckless driving within 48 hours, although public holidays may delay proceedings.
The driver of the truck involved in the collision has reportedly fled the scene, and police have launched a manhunt.
As investigations continue in Nigeria, arrangements are being made in the UK for the return and burial of Ghami and Ayodele, whose deaths have cast a shadow over what was intended to be a routine family visit to the country by Joshua and his team.
