Anthony Joshua's Driver Faces Trial in Nigeria After Fatal Crash — and Key Witness Statement Is Still Missing
The trial of Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, the driver of British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua, was adjourned until 10 September during a court hearing in Nigeria. Police confirmed at the hearing that they have not yet taken a statement from Joshua himself regarding the fatal crash that killed two of his friends. (BBC News)
Kayode, 46, faces four charges stemming from a road collision near Sagamu in Ogun State: causing death by dangerous driving, reckless and negligent driving, reckless and dangerous driving causing death, and driving without a valid licence. He was formally charged at Sagamu Magistrates' Court in early January. (BBC News; ESPN; BBC News)
The crash killed two of Joshua's friends, identified in court proceedings as Ghami and Ayodele. After the collision, Joshua posted a tribute to both men on social media. (BBC News)
During cross-examination — the phase of a trial where the opposing side questions a witness — Kayode's lawyer pressed police officer Ajayi on the absence of a statement from Joshua. Ajayi replied that efforts were ongoing and that he did not have Joshua's phone number. (BBC News)
The location is not incidental. Joshua was born in Watford, England, and has family roots in Sagamu, the town near where the crash occurred. His connection to the area places him not merely as a peripheral figure but as someone with direct ties to the locality where the proceedings are unfolding. (BBC News)
The procedural posture of the case raises several points worth noting. In the UK, causing death by dangerous driving is an indictable offence — meaning it is serious enough to be tried in a Crown Court rather than a lower court — and carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for offences committed after 28 June 2022, with a Sentencing Council offence range of two to 18 years' custody. (Sentencing Council) These UK guidelines do not apply to the Nigerian proceedings, which are governed by Nigerian criminal procedure and traffic law. The UK framework nonetheless offers a point of comparison for readers assessing the gravity of the charges.
The prosecution's ability to secure a conviction may hinge on witness testimony. The fact that the key figure in the vehicle, Joshua, has not yet provided a formal statement months after the crash is a point the defence has already sought to exploit. The adjournment to 10 September grants police additional time to obtain that account, but the defence's cross-examination on this gap signals a strategy aimed at undermining the completeness of the prosecution's evidentiary record. (BBC News)
The broader context here is that slow proceedings are not unusual in Nigerian magistrates' courts. Cases involving serious charges often move slowly, with adjournments driven by investigative gaps, witness availability, or administrative delays. The lack of a direct phone number for Joshua, as cited by the investigating officer, illustrates the practical friction that can arise when a case involves a high-profile individual with international mobility — someone who may be in a different country from one week to the next.
Kayode's charge of driving without a valid licence adds a layer of aggravation that could influence the court's assessment of culpability. In both Nigerian and UK legal traditions, unlicensed driving in the context of a fatal collision typically factors into the severity of sentencing considerations.
The next hearing on 10 September will likely indicate whether the prosecution has closed its evidentiary gaps or whether the defence's procedural challenge gains further traction. For now, the case remains at a stage where the absence of a key witness statement has become, in itself, a contested element of the trial. (BBC News)
