Joshua’s driver risks jail term

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 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.