Adedamola Joshua, an uncle of Nigerian-British heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, has spoken about the shock and emotional strain the family is experiencing following a tragic road accident that claimed the lives of two of the boxer’s close friends.
According to him, the family did not learn about the incident through social media but later received the information via a phone call, a situation that added to the distress and confusion surrounding the tragedy.
Speaking on the incident, Adedamola Joshua said the news deeply affected the family and raised serious concerns about Nigeria’s emergency response systems, the behaviour of bystanders at accident scenes, and the country’s overall road safety conditions.
“Well, some of us are not really used to social media, so we didn’t get to hear of it on time. But around 1 pm, one of my church members, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, called to inform me of the accident,” he said.
He explained that the news initially sounded unbelievable.
“How can Anthony Joshua be involved in an accident? It sounded so impossible, but it actually happened. It is unfortunate,” he added.
Adedamola Joshua further clarified that Anthony Joshua’s visits to Nigeria during the Yuletide period were a long-standing family routine and not tied to any special programme or celebration. He noted that the tradition of large annual family gatherings had been suspended following the death of a senior family member who previously coordinated them.
“This is not the first, second, or third time he has been coming home. So what happened? Why now?” he asked.
He revealed that the boxer had arrived in Nigeria just six hours before the accident and was eager to reunite with his family in Sagamu.
“He could have chosen to spend time with the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, or other influential Nigerians, but he said he wanted to be with his family in Sagamu. It is really painful that such an incident happened,” he said.
Clarifying the status of Anthony Joshua’s parents, Adedamola Joshua stated that the boxer’s father is largely resident in Nigeria, while his mother divides her time between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the handling of the accident, Adedamola Joshua condemned Nigeria’s emergency response framework, describing it as inadequate and poorly coordinated.
“I want to condemn the lackadaisical attitude of our government towards anything emergency. To see Joshua crossing the median after the accident when he was supposed to be on a stretcher was distressing,” he said.
He contrasted the situation with emergency responses abroad.
“If it had been abroad, a helicopter would have arrived within five minutes to evacuate the victims,” he stated.
He also called for improved deployment of ambulances along major roads.
“It is not enough to have Federal Road Safety Corps officials checking vehicle documents; ambulances should also be stationed along these roads,” he said.
Adedamola Joshua further criticized the conduct of some bystanders at accident scenes.
“When people are supposed to help, they bring out their phones to make videos and even steal from victims. That is not right,” he said, adding that Anthony Joshua’s phone was reportedly stolen during the chaos.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
