Fatal Crash Involving Anthony Joshua’s Team: Driver Tried to Overtake

The driver at the centre of the car crash that killed two close friends and team-mates of Anthony Joshua attempted an overtake before ploughing into a stationary lorry, a court in Nigeria has heard.

Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, long-time members of Joshua’s inner circle, died at the scene. Joshua survived and was taken to hospital.

Attempted overtake before impact

Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, stands accused of causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a valid licence. He denies both charges.

The court heard that on December 29, Kayode was driving Joshua, Ayodele and Ghami along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Makun, Ogun State, as they travelled to visit Joshua’s father. The journey came just days after Joshua had stopped Jake Paul in a high-profile bout in Miami.

Inspector Christopher Ajayi Taiwo of the Ogun State Motor Traffic Division told the court that Kayode tried to overtake a moving truck but instead crashed into a lorry that was parked by the roadside.

The impact proved fatal for Ayodele, Joshua’s personal trainer, and Ghami, his strength coach. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene. Joshua, who had been asleep along with the others in the vehicle, was rushed to hospital.

Stationary lorry driver also charged

The case does not end with Kayode. The driver of the parked lorry, Abubakar Adamu, 35, also faces a charge of obstructing the free flow of traffic. He too denies the allegation.

By the time police arrived, both vehicles involved in the collision had already been removed, Inspector Ajayi told the court. Officers instead worked from what remained at the roadside, recovering a logbook, painkillers and an energy drink near the driver’s side of the crash site.

One detail drew particular scrutiny: local police have still not taken a statement from Joshua himself. When Kayode’s lawyer pressed Inspector Ajayi on why the heavyweight’s account had not been formally recorded, the officer replied that he “didn’t have his number”.

The trial has been adjourned until September 10, with the circumstances of the crash – and the decisions made before and after it – set to come under even closer examination when proceedings resume.

Grief that still follows Joshua into the ring

The legal process runs on, but for Joshua the loss of Ayodele and Ghami has already carved a permanent scar into his career.

After his July victory over Kristian Prenga, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion broke down in the ring as he tried to pay tribute to the two men who had helped shape his training and daily life.

A month before that bout, Joshua spoke publicly about his determination to support their families and preserve their legacy, stressing that a wider team was working to ensure their loved ones would be looked after and their ambitions honoured.

For now, the courtroom in Ogun holds the next chapter of this story. The punches have stopped, the cameras have moved on, but the questions over how and why two key figures in Joshua’s camp lost their lives on that highway are only just being tested under oath.