The Nigerian court hearing the case against the driver of Anthony Joshua’s ill-fated Lexus SUV returned to the spotlight this morning, with proceedings adjourned again — this time to September 10 — as prosecutors laid out fresh details of the fatal crash that shook global boxing late last year.
Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was behind the wheel on December 30 when the SUV, carrying the former unified heavyweight champion and members of his inner circle, ploughed into a stationary lorry on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The collision killed Joshua’s long-time personal trainer Latif “Latz” Ayodele and strength coach Sina Ghami, and left the boxer himself with minor injuries.
In court today, prosecutors alleged that Kayode lost control of the vehicle while attempting to overtake a moving truck. According to their account, the SUV clipped or swerved past the moving truck at speed before slamming into a lorry that had been parked on the shoulder. The impact, they said, was severe enough to be fatal on the spot for the two men seated behind Joshua.
Kayode faces four counts, the most serious being dangerous driving causing death. He is also charged with driving without a valid national driver’s licence — a detail that has fuelled public anger in Nigeria, where informal driving arrangements for celebrities and dignitaries have long been criticised by road-safety campaigners.
The case has taken on outsized emotional weight because of who was in the car. Ayodele and Ghami were not just staff. Both had been with Joshua for years, appearing in training camp footage, walking him out for world-title fights, and forming part of the Nigerian-British contingent Joshua often credits with keeping him grounded. Their funerals earlier this year drew boxing figures from across Europe.
Reports at the time suggested Joshua may have narrowly escaped death after swapping seats with one of the men before the trip resumed — a detail that has never been fully confirmed but has haunted coverage of the crash ever since. Joshua himself has spoken publicly only sparingly, thanking fans for their prayers and asking for privacy for the families.
The trial’s repeated adjournments have frustrated observers who want to see the case move faster. Ogun State prosecutors have blamed procedural issues and the need to secure additional witnesses, including police accident investigators and expert crash analysts. Defence lawyers have signalled they intend to challenge parts of the prosecution’s reconstruction of events.
Beyond the courtroom, the case has become a flashpoint in Nigeria’s long-running debate about road safety. The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is one of the country’s busiest and most dangerous stretches of road, with fatal crashes involving stationary trucks and reckless overtaking a near-weekly occurrence. Federal officials have promised repeatedly to enforce parking restrictions and vehicle roadworthiness rules; results on the ground remain patchy.
For Nigeria’s boxing community, the trial is also a painful reminder of unfinished mourning. Ayodele and Ghami were quietly revered figures in Lagos gyms. The men who trained the champion of the world died on a road that thousands of ordinary Nigerians use every day. That contrast has kept the story alive in local media long after the international headlines faded.
With the trial now pushed to September 10, attention will turn to whether the court can finally begin hearing substantive evidence rather than procedural motions. Prosecutors have signalled they intend to call at least a dozen witnesses. Kayode remains on bail under conditions set by the magistrate earlier this year. For Anthony Joshua — who has said he will return to the ring in the coming months — the case is a shadow that refuses to lift. And in Nigeria, where the story is followed with a mixture of pride, grief and outrage, next week’s hearing cannot come soon enough
