Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, the 19-year-old son of Adeniyi Kayode, Anthony Joshua‘s driver, has rejected claims that his father drove recklessly before the crash that claimed the lives of friends of the heavyweight boxing champion.
On December 29, a Lexus SUV conveying Joshua and his team rammed into a stationary truck along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
Two of Joshua’s close associates — Kevin Latif Ayodele, his personal trainer, and Sina Ghami, his strength and conditioning coach — died in the accident.
Adeniyi, who was behind the wheels, was charged with manslaughter by the Ogun state police command.
He was later taken to the Sagamu Correctional Centre to complete his bail paperwork.
Speaking about the incident, Ifeoluwa said his father was not speeding at the time of the crash and that the accident was caused by brake failure.
“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,” he said.
He said his father tried to swerve to avoid the stationary truck but crashed into it.
The driver’s son told Daily Mail that Joshua initially sat in front but swapped seats at some point during the trip.
“He tries to swerve and avoid the truck parked by the side of the road but hit it. He’s been driving for Anthony for three years, he’s a good driver,” the younger Adeniyi added.
“I know that when the journey started in Lagos, Anthony was sitting in the front by the driver but my dad asked him to sit behind because he was blocking his view.
“He was taking Anthony to see his family in Sagamu and had picked them up from the airport and they were only a few minutes from arriving.
“It’s not his fault, if the truck wasn’t parked there illegally this wouldn’t have happened.”
Olalekan Abiodun, the driver’s lawyer, described the accident as unfortunate.
He confirmed that Adeniyi has pleaded not guilty and noted that the journey began in Lagos with Joshua initially seated in front.
However, Adeniyi asked Joshua to swap seats, he said.
According to Abiodun, the trip was to visit Joshua’s family in Sagamu and the accident occurred just minutes before their destination.
“My client has pleaded not guilty, and what happened was an accident. I haven’t had a chance to speak with him yet, but I know he says the brakes didn’t work,” he said.
“I also understand that the journey started in Lagos and that initially Anthony had got into the front seat, but the driver asked him to swap seats. He did this because Anthony is a big fellow, and so the driver couldn’t see the wing mirror properly, which was why he asked him to move to the seat behind the driver’s seat.
“From what I understand, Latif changed seats with Anthony. I know that when the journey started in Lagos, Anthony was sitting in the front.
“He was taking Anthony to see his family in Sagamu and had picked them up from the airport. They were only a few minutes from arriving.”
The lawyer argued that the crash may have been avoided if the truck had not been parked illegally on the roadside.
