Fresh details have emerged about the tragic road accident involving world boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, which claimed the lives of two members of his close team.
The explanation is coming from the son of the driver behind the wheel at the time of the crash.
The driver’s son, Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, has spoken out to defend his father, Adeniyi Kayode, amid public speculation and allegations of reckless driving.
He insisted that the accident, which occurred on December 29 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State, was caused by a mechanical failure and a wrongly parked vehicle.
According to Ifeoluwa, his father was driving within the approved speed limit when the Lexus SUV suddenly lost braking power.
He explained that the failure left the driver with little or no control of the vehicle moments before the crash.
“Dad is not a fast driver; he was following the speed limit when the brakes failed. He said he was pushing the pedal, but nothing was happening,”
Ifeoluwa said his father tried to avoid a collision by swerving off course. However, the effort was unsuccessful as the vehicle crashed into a truck that was parked by the roadside.
He maintained that the presence of the truck played a major role in the fatal outcome of the accident. According to him, the truck was not properly parked and had no visible warning signs to alert oncoming vehicles.
The accident led to the death of Anthony Joshua’s personal trainer, Kevin Latif Ayodele, and his strength and conditioning coach, Sina Ghami. Both men were confirmed dead at the scene.
The group was reportedly returning from the airport and heading to Sagamu to visit Joshua’s family. They were said to be only a few minutes away from their destination when the incident occurred.
Ifeoluwa also provided details about what happened inside the vehicle before the crash. He disclosed that Anthony Joshua initially sat in the front passenger seat after leaving Lagos. However, the seating arrangement later changed during the journey.
He said the driver requested a swap because Joshua’s size made it difficult for him to see properly through the wing mirror. Joshua then moved to the back seat, while Kevin Latif reportedly took the front passenger position.
“He’s been driving for Anthony for three years; he’s a good driver,” Ifeoluwa stressed. “It’s not his fault if the truck wasn’t parked there illegally, this wouldn’t have happened.”
The driver’s legal representative, Olalekan Abiodun, also backed the account given by Ifeoluwa. He confirmed that his client experienced brake failure and described the crash as a tragic and unfortunate accident.
“My client says the brakes didn’t work,”
Abiodun said, adding that the illegally parked truck worsened the situation and contributed significantly to the severity of the crash.
Despite the explanation, the Ogun State Police Command has charged Adeniyi Kayode with manslaughter. The driver has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
He was briefly remanded at the Sagamu Correctional Centre while bail procedures were being completed. He has since been granted bail pending further court proceedings.
Anthony Joshua, who survived the accident without injury, has yet to make a public statement on the incident. The boxing star has remained silent as investigations continue.
Police authorities have confirmed that inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash are still ongoing. Further findings are expected to determine liability and whether road safety regulations were breached.