NSC DG, Hon. Olopade Visits Anthony Joshua, Sympathizes with Families of Victims After Fatal Road Accident
Oru Leonard
The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has expressed deep sympathy to global boxing star Anthony Joshua and the families of victims involved in a fatal road accident that occurred on Monday, December 29, at the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
A press release signed by the Director, Press, Dr. (Mrs.) Kehinde Ajayi on
December 29, 2025 noted that in a moment that transcended official statements and underscored the human side of leadership, Hon. Olopade swiftly paid a visit to former world heavyweight boxing champion, on the behalf of the chairman of the Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko and the entire staff of the Commission.
Hon. Olopade described the accident as tragic and deeply saddening, while thanking God for the survival of the boxing icon. Unfortunately, Joshua’s strength and conditioning coach, Sina Ghami and personal trainer, Kevin Latif Ayodele lost their lives in the crash.
“On behalf of the National Sports Commission and the entire Nigerian sports family, I express my heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this unfortunate accident,” Hon. Olopade said.
“We thank God for the life of Anthony Joshua. Our thoughts and prayers are with him as he recovers, and we wish him a full and speedy return to good health.”
The NSC Director General also used the opportunity to reiterate the importance of road safety and responsible driving.
“We urge all road users to exercise patience, caution, and responsibility at all times,” he added.
About the two Anthony Joshua’s friends that died in the accident;
The two crew members who passed on in a fatal accident that occurred along the busy Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, within the Makun axis of Ogun State were Latz and Sina Evovle, were coaches and close friends of his.
Sina Evovle was Anthony Joshua’s strength & conditioning coach. Media sources reported that Sina was seen preparing AJ for his Jake Paul fight 2 weeks ago. He was full of life and excited when the crew landed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, in the early hours of Monday. He was seen posting videos of their arrival, and the social media is awash with his last post after he passed on a few hours later
Latif, aka “Latz” / “Healthy_Mindset” on Instagram, was a close friend, AJ’s personal trainer. Latif was a physical trainer and a devoted muslim with over 11.6k subscribers on Instagram.
Latif trains with Anthony Joshua
Although Latif’s nationalities is still sketchy as at the time of filling this report, Sina was originally from Syria even though it is not yet confirmed if both men were carrying a British passport before their death. Tributes continued to pour in for both men on all social media handles, with Latif’s Instagram page filled with hundreds of condolence messages from fellow Muslim brothers.
The boxing champion, 36, was on his way to see family when the Lexus SUV he was travelling in the back of smashed into a stationary truck shortly after 11am today on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Makun. Images of the SUV’s crumpled wreckage were released by Nigerian officials, while a Mitsubishi believed to be part of Joshua’s convoy sat undamaged just yards away.
Five people were involved in the collision, with photos revealing how the vehicle was destroyed,
Joshua was seated behind the driver during the crash and survived despite two fatalities in the collision. He was later seen in an emergency vehicle speaking to officials.
