The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of Kayode Adeniyi, the 47-year-old driver of the ill-fated Lexus SUV that crashed on Monday, killing two of Anthony Joshua’s closest friends, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, adding that investigations are ongoing.
Adeniyi, a long-standing member of Joshua’s Nigerian logistics team, was discharged from the hospital in Lagos late on New Year’s Eve and driven two hours north to Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, where the fatal crash occurred.
Police sources revealed that Adeniyi is expected to be charged with reckless driving within 48 hours, though the bank holiday may delay proceedings.
“The driver was released after treatment for minor injuries and was then taken to the state police headquarters for questioning. He is in a stable condition and was able to provide us with his version of events that led up to the crash,” a police source told Daily Mail.
Adeniyi was allegedly driving way over the 65mph speed limit for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when he lost control after a tyre burst during an overtaking manoeuvre near Danco.
The Lexus, carrying Joshua and two of his training staff, Sina Ghami and Kevin Latif Ayodele, smashed into an illegally parked truck, which was carrying soya beans.
The force of the impact tore the nearside section of the car away. Ghami, 36, a British citizen, and Ayodele, 36, a Nigerian/British citizen, were killed instantly, while Joshua and Adeniyi suffered only minor injuries.
Joshua was sitting behind the driver and escaped death by inches, with local first responders describing his survival as a “miracle”.
The Lagos and Ogun state governments on Wednesday announced the discharge of Anthony Joshua from Lagoon Hospital, Ikoyi, after doctors confirmed he was clinically fit to continue his recuperation from home.
According to a joint statement signed by Mr Kayode Akinmade, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, and Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, Joshua and his mother visited a funeral home in Lagos on Wednesday to pay their final respects to the two late friends.
The bodies were flown out of Lagos on a Turkish Airlines cargo flight that landed in Istanbul early on New Year’s Day and are expected to fly on to London.
Governors Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State expressed deep appreciation to members of the public for the overwhelming concern, prayers and show of love following the sad incident.
They also conveyed their gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for what they described as his fatherly support throughout the period and commended the doctors and medical personnel at Lagoon Hospital for their professionalism.
The two state governments once again commiserated with the families of the deceased, describing the incident as painful and deeply unfortunate.
According to the Daily Mail, the driver of the illegally parked truck has now disappeared, and there is an active police manhunt for him.
Joshua and the two men had arrived in Nigeria on Monday on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London. A baggage handler at arrivals, called Solomon, told reporters, “They were all smiling and laughing and joking as they walked through. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the news a few hours later that he had been involved in a fatal accident.”
Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi and Bright Osayi-Samuel have sent messages of support to Joshua following the crash.
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