The uncle of British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua has stated that his nephew would not want the driver involved in the fatal crash that claimed the lives of two of his friends to be sent to jail.
The driver, Adeniyi Kayode, 46, appeared before a magistrate’s court in Sagamu, Ogun State, on Tuesday January 20, over the December crash that claimed the lives of Joshua’s close friends, Latif Ayodele, and Sina Ghami.
The magistrate, Olajumoke Somefu, adjourned the case until February 25 after the prosecution applied for a delay to enable the transmission of the case file to the Ogun State Attorney-General’s Office through the Department of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.
Kayode, who was behind the wheel of the Lexus 570 SUV when it crashed into a stationary truck on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, is facing four charges, including dangerous driving causing death, reckless and negligent driving, and driving without a valid national driver’s licence.
Speaking with Punch, Joshua’s uncle, Adedamola Joshua, said the family was not interested in seeing Kayode sent to prison.
“Our son (Joshua) is so much deep in religion and taking everything by faith, he will not want anything to happen to the driver,” Adedamola told the publication .
“I see closeness between them, and he will not like him to go to jail because he has got his own family, and the children will suffer.
“The family is also not interested in him being jailed because an accident can happen anywhere in the world, so they should please spare this man. Let’s move forward.”
Kayode, who had been Joshua’s driver for three years, was earlier granted bail in the sum of N5m with two sureties in like sum.
The defence counsel, Abiodun Olalekan, opposed the prosecution’s application for adjournment, arguing that the defence was ready to proceed with the trial. However, the magistrate granted the prosecution’s application.
