There are headlines you read—and your brain freezes for a second. Because you expect a scoreline, a contract, a fight announcement. And instead you get: a crash, a hospital, deaths.
in Nigeria, Anthony Joshua was involved in a road accident—people from his closest circle were in the car with him. Two died. Joshua was injured and ended up in the hospital.
What is confirmed so far
No speculation—just the facts that appear in official statements and major media reports:
- the crash happened on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway (Ogun State), the highway that connects Lagos and Ibadan;
- Joshua was a passenger (in the back of the vehicle) and suffered minor injuries; he was taken to the hospital;
- Sina Gami and Latif Ayodele—Joshua’s close friends and members of his team—were killed;
- on December 31, authorities said Joshua had been discharged: doctors deemed him clinically fit to continue recovering at home.
One important caveat: the causes are still described as preliminary because the investigation is ongoing.
Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the police described the situation along these lines: the vehicle may have been speeding, lost control while overtaking, and collided with a stationary truck.
Why this particular road shows up in the news far too often
The Lagos–Ibadan Expressway is not just “a highway between two cities.” It’s one of the country’s busiest—and most troubled—arteries.
Nigeria’s The Guardian wrote that, on this stretch, over 27 months there were 1,557 crashes, 3,964 injuries, and 645 deaths (statistics that make your fingers go cold).
And here comes the most unpleasant thought: in places like this, any “mistake at speed” turns not into a fine, but into a tragedy.
It reached the courts: the driver has been charged
On January 2, Reuters reported that the driver, 46-year-old Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, was charged on four counts, including causing death by dangerous driving, as well as driving without a valid licence (these are the charge descriptions—not a verdict). The court set bail at 5 million naira (about $3.5k), and the hearing was adjourned to January 20.
The reaction is as human as it gets (and it’s hard to add anything)
Sometimes the simplest words sound the truest.
Jake Paul, who recently fought Joshua, wrote a line without posing and without a show: Life matters far more than boxing
—and this is that rare case where no grand statements are needed at all.
Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, called Joshua and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
And Joshua himself later posted a message on social media—thanking people for their support and calling the men who died his “brothers.”
From a human point of view, what matters now is not “when is the next fight,” but that Joshua recovers properly and simply gets through this.
From a sporting point of view—yes, the boxing world will wait for updates. But after events like this, any calendar plans feel… indecently rushed.
