The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun State Sector Command, has confirmed that the road crash involving Nigerian-British boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, which occurred on Monday, December 29, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, was caused by speeding and wrongful overtaking.
The accident, which reportedly claimed the lives of two people, occurred around 12 pm in front of Sinoma, before Danco, along the busy expressway.
The spokesperson of the command, Afolabi Odunsi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Monday.
According to the FRSC, the crash involved two vehicles, including a Lexus SUV with registration number KRD 850 HN, which was reportedly conveying the former heavyweight world champion.
Odunsi explained that the driver of the Lexus overtook another vehicle from the right-hand side at high speed before ramming into a stationary truck parked along the highway.
He said, “The causes of the crash were overspeeding and wrongful overtaking by the driver who overtook from the right-hand side, thereby ramming into a stationary vehicle.”
The FRSC spokesman revealed that five people were involved in the crash. He stated that while two people lost their lives, one person sustained injuries, and two others escaped unhurt.
Odunsi added that operatives of the Sagamu Unit of the FRSC rescue team were promptly deployed to the scene immediately the incident was reported.
Confirming the involvement of the international boxing star, the FRSC said Anthony Joshua sustained injuries in the crash and was immediately evacuated by his security detail.
The statement read in part, “However, it was discovered that Anthony Joshua (international boxer) was involved, but he only sustained an injury and was taken to an undisclosed hospital by the security officers attached to him.”
The corps also confirmed that the remains of the two victims had been deposited at the morgue, while traffic obstruction caused by the crash had been cleared to ease movement along the expressway.
“The bodies of the two killed have since been taken to the morgue. Obstructions have been cleared,” the statement added.
Naijaonpoint reports that Joshua, a former unified heavyweight boxing champion, is an indigene of Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The FRSC once again cautioned motorists against excessive speeding and dangerous overtaking, warning that such actions continue to claim innocent lives on Nigerian roads.