A nationwide police manhunt is underway in Nigeria for the driver of a truck involved in a horrific crash with a car carrying boxing champion Anthony Joshua, which left two of his best friends dead.
Fatal Collision on Notorious Highway
The collision occurred on Monday on a notoriously dangerous expressway north of Lagos, Nigeria's capital. Joshua's Lexus SUV ploughed head-on into a stationary soya bean truck that had been illegally parked on the hard shoulder. The boxer, 36, survived with injuries, but his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, both also 36, were killed.
Nigerian police confirmed to the Daily Mail that the truck driver, a man in his 30s whose name has not been released, has vanished and is wanted in connection with the fatal incident. Officers at the Sagamu car pound displayed the wrecked HGV, which still bore the scars of the impact and was cordoned off with police tape.
"He was parked on the side of the highway which is illegal, he had not broken down and he was not with the vehicle when the accident happened," a Nigerian police officer stated.
Focus Turns to Lexus Driver's Speed
In a significant development, the investigation has also turned its attention to the driver of Joshua's Lexus. Police say the SUV was being driven in excess of the 100kph (62mph) speed limit prior to the crash. Authorities are probing the driver for speeding and could prosecute for reckless driving.
According to police reports, the Lexus lost control during an overtaking manoeuvre. Eyewitnesses described the sound of the collision as akin to a bomb exploding, and officials indicated a tyre burst on the SUV moments before the impact.
Joshua was seated directly behind the driver, with another passenger beside him and one in the front passenger seat. His security detail was following in a separate vehicle. Astonishingly, Joshua survived the impact that proved fatal for his two friends sitting just inches away.
A Grim Toll on Nigeria's Deadliest Road
The accident spotlights the extreme dangers of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a road dubbed one of Nigeria's deadliest. The statistics are harrowing: 73 people died on a 127.6km stretch of this road in just three months earlier this year.
Over a 27-month period, data shows 1,557 crashes occurred on the expressway, involving 11,396 people. These incidents resulted in 645 fatalities and 3,964 injuries. The perilous conditions were evident to Daily Mail reporters who travelled the route, noting a complete lack of lane discipline, rampant speeding, blocked hard shoulders, and pedestrians dangerously crossing the motorway.
The broader picture for road safety in Nigeria is alarming. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, at least 1,593 people died on the country's roads—a figure just nine fewer than the total number of road fatalities in the UK for the entirety of 2024.
Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua is recuperating at the luxury Duchess International Hospital in Lagos, where his mother Yeta Odusanya is at his bedside. He is expected to remain there over the New Year. While local police initially described his injuries as "minor" and "stable", there are concerns they may be more severe than first reported.
The tragic incident occurred just over a week after Joshua's victorious fight against YouTuber Jake Paul, for which he reportedly earned £75 million.
