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.
He explained that the family did not first learn about the incident through social media, but rather received the information later via a phone call, which added to the distress and confusion surrounding the situation.
In his account, Adedamola Joshua said the news deeply affected the family and raised serious concerns about emergency response systems, the behaviour of bystanders at accident scenes, and overall road safety conditions in Nigeria.
He noted that the incident has prompted renewed reflection within the family on how accidents are handled in the country, particularly issues relating to timely medical assistance and the tendency of onlookers to gather rather than help.
“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 and it was like I had never in my life heard that people were involved in an accident.
“How can Anthony Joshua be involved in an accident? It sounded so impossible, but it actually happened; it is unfortunate,” he said.
He further explained that Anthony Joshua’s trips to Nigeria during the Yuletide period were a long-standing family routine and were not connected to any special programme or celebration.
According to him, the tradition of a large annual family gathering had since been halted after the passing of a senior family member who previously coordinated such events.
“It has really left us in shock because this is not the first, the second, or the third time he has been coming home, so what happened? Why now?
“He just arrived in the country six hours ago on that day, and was eager to see his family in Sagamu, only for things to go the way they went,” he said.
“He could have decided to say that he wanted to spend some time with the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, or other influential Nigerians, but he said that he wanted to be with his family in Sagamu. It is really painful that such an incident happened,” he added.
Clarifying the situation of the boxer’s parents, Adedamola Joshua said they were mostly resident in Nigeria, particularly Anthony Joshua’s father, while his mother splits her time between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Uncle decries accident handling
Speaking on the handling of the accident, he expressed dissatisfaction with the country’s emergency response framework, describing it as inadequate.
He lamented delays in rescue efforts and medical attention, stressing that such shortcomings often worsen outcomes in critical situations.
He added that the tragic incident once again highlighted the urgent need for stronger emergency services, better coordination among first responders, and improved road safety measures to prevent avoidable loss of lives.
“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 added, “If it had been abroad, a helicopter would have arrived at the scene within five minutes for the evacuation of the victims of the accident.”
“It is not enough to have the officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps checking vehicle documents; let there be ambulances too, stationed along this road,” he said.
“Some Nigerians act badly at accident scenes. When they are supposed to help, you will see them bringing out their phones to make videos and even steal from the victims. That is not right,” he said, adding that Anthony Joshua’s phone was reportedly stolen during the chaos.