Adeniyi Kayode, the driver charged in the automobile accident that injured Anthony Joshua and killed his companions, appeared in a Nigerian court on Tuesday, as the star boxer’s uncle questioned whether a trial was “really worth it.”
Kayode, 46, was driving former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua and two of his pals, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, when their Lexus SUV collided with a stationary truck.
Kayode is facing multiple reckless driving charges, as well as a charge of driving without a license.
Kayode, dressed in black trousers and a hoodie, appeared depressed and attempted to dodge photographers’ cameras outside the courtroom in Sagamu, in the country’s southwest.
“We are very lucky that our son didn’t die. But taking this man to court is something we don’t see any reason for,” Joshua’s uncle, Adedamola Joshua, told AFP at the boxer’s family home.
“This is my own personal opinion that the trial is not really worth it. Because we think accidents can happen anywhere in the world.”
At the same time, he further stated that, “we sense the opinion of the people of the town” is that “this man must be prosecuted. That he was over speeding”.
The Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) in the Ogun state section of the highway where the crash occurred told AFP after the December 29 incident that preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle was traveling at an excessive speed and had a burst tire prior to the collision.
Kayode’s court appearance on Tuesday was brief, as the judge adjourned the case until February 25 after the prosecution requested a delay.
His lawyer, Olalekan Abiodun, told reporters outside the courthouse that he consented to the extension “in the interest of justice.”
According to Nigerian police and state officials, Ayodele and Ghami perished on the spot, while Joshua and Kayode suffered minor injuries.
Ghami was Joshua’s long-time strength and conditioning instructor, and Ayodele was his personal trainer, according to British media reports.
Adedamola Joshua told AFP that Kayode had been his nephew’s driver for three years and there had been no complaints.
His nephew, a British national of Nigerian descent, makes frequent trips to southwest Nigeria, where he has friends and family.
