Nigeria reopens a sensitive topic after the tragic accident in which two of Anthony Joshua's close friends died
Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published Tuesday, December 30, 2025, 7:22 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, December 30, 2025, 7:42 p.m.
The tragic incident in which former British world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was injured and two of his close relatives lost their lives near Lagos, has raised serious concerns about safety on Nigerian roads.
The accident, which had a wide echo in the public space, brought back into focus the safety issues on Nigeria's highways, where road accidents are common.
Alarm signal in Nigeria after Anthony Joshua's accident
According to data from the Federal Road Safety Corps in the country, in 2024, 5,421 deaths were recorded in Nigeria following 9,570 road incidents, according to sportal.bg. Statistics show that last year the number of victims was 340 higher compared to 2023.
Experts point out that a combination of factors, including a neglected and damaged road network, lax enforcement of traffic laws and a lack of driver discipline, contribute to these grim statistics.
The immobilized truck that Joshua's vehicle rammed into is a common sight on Nigerian roads and often causes serious traffic jams. Such trucks transport goods and food throughout the vast territory of Nigeria, and according to experts, they are often in poor technical condition and are responsible for many of the accidents.
“Frequency of road accidents in Nigeria is a serious problem”, said Ache Ogu, executive director of the Road Accident Prevention Network Centre, an Abuja-based non-governmental organisation. “Most of the trucks are not in good working order and law enforcement needs to significantly step up their efforts.”
The famous athlete Anthony Joshua was a passenger in the accident that claimed the lives of two people. It is about Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, people from the athlete's staff.
The car Joshua was in, a Lexus SUV, is believed to have collided with a truck near a petrol station on the busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Nigeria. Emergency crews rushed to the scene as crowds formed around the scene of the fatal crash.
