British former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was injured in a car crash in Nigeria’s Ogun State that killed two people, according to local police and road safety officials.
The accident occurred on Monday on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a major route linking Ogun State with Lagos, Nigeria’s economic center.
Police said Joshua, 36, was traveling in a vehicle that collided with another car, resulting in multiple casualties.
He sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital for medical attention.
Authorities said the circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation.
Details of the collision were later confirmed by Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps, which provided preliminary findings.
The Ogun State Police Command said the vehicle carrying Joshua was involved in a serious traffic incident under conditions still being examined.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps, five men were involved in the crash.
Two people died at the scene, while two others escaped without injuries.
Joshua was seated in the rear of the vehicle at the time of the collision, police said.
Road safety officials stated that early assessments suggest the vehicle was traveling above the legal speed limit.
Investigators said the driver lost control during an overtaking maneuver before crashing into a stationary truck parked by the roadside.
“The primary causes of the crash being excessive speed and wrongful overtaking constitute serious traffic violations and remain among the leading causes of fatal road crashes on Nigerian highways,” the agency said.
Joshua could not immediately be reached for comment following the incident.
Joshua is the son of British-Nigerian parents and spent part of his childhood in Ogun State.
He attended a boarding school in Ikenne before returning to Britain at the age of 12.
The boxer has been in Nigeria following a recent professional bout in the United States.
Just over a week before the crash, Joshua defeated American social media personality Jake Paul by knockout in the sixth round.
The fight marked his return to the ring after a 15-month layoff.
Joshua is expected to face longtime rival Tyson Fury in a future bout scheduled for 2026.
Police and road safety authorities said investigations into the fatal crash are ongoing.