A Magistrate Court in Sagamu, Ogun State, has proceeded with the trial of Adeniyi Kayode, the driver of a Lexus SUV involved in the road accident that claimed the lives of close associates of heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua.
The 46-year-old defendant was arraigned before the Sagamu Magistrate Court on January 2, with Magistrate Olufunilayo Somefun presiding.
He is facing a four-count charge, including dangerous driving causing death, contrary to Section 5(1) of the Federal Highway Act, Cap F: 135, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 (as applicable in Ogun State), as well as reckless and negligent driving, contrary to Section 6(1) of the same Act.
The remaining charges relate to driving without due care and attention resulting in bodily harm and damage to property, contrary to Section 7(1) of the Act, and driving without a valid national driver’s licence, contrary to Section 10(1) of the Federal Highway Act.
The court granted the defendant bail in the sum of ₦5,000,000 with two sureties.
Anthony Joshua lost two friends, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, in the accident along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on December 29, 2025.
The Lexus SUV reportedly crashed into a stationary truck, leaving Joshua and the driver with minor injuries.
Joshua was later discharged from the hospital after doctors certified him fit to continue recovery at home.
The former world heavyweight champion, accompanied by his mother, later visited a funeral home in Lagos to pay his last respects to Ayodele and Ghami before their bodies were repatriated.
He subsequently travelled to the United Kingdom for the funeral rites.
The remains of Ghami and Ayodele were flown to the UK, where a funeral prayer service was held on January 4, 2026, at the London Central Mosque.
Ghami, Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach, and Ayodele, his personal trainer and close associate, were widely seen as key members of the boxer’s team, and their deaths have shocked the global boxing community.
Joshua later attended the burial at Hendon Cemetery, where he paid his final respects alongside family, friends, and supporters, as thousands had earlier gathered at the mosque to honour the late duo.