The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has said that its final report on the fatal road accident involving former world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway would be released to the public within the next 30 to 60 days.

Director-General, NSIB, Alex Badeh Jr., disclosed this on Saturday while speaking virtually with transport journalists.

Badeh said the bureau had completed its investigation and forwarded its findings to relevant stakeholders for their observations, in line with the law governing accident investigations.

He explained that the procedure required the NSIB to circulate draft investigation reports to appropriate stakeholders before the final report is released to the public.

However, Badeh Jr. revealed that the bureau did not receive the level of cooperation it expected from the Nigeria Police during the investigation, although he agreed that the police provided some assistance.

He said: “The report on Anthony Joshua’s accident should be out to the public in the next 30 to 60 days. We have sent our findings to the appropriate quarters as required by the law. It’s after this that we can then release it to the public.

“On the police, we didn’t receive enough cooperation from them, but we received some. We would have loved to receive more from them and other necessary agencies.”

According to him, the position of the police was that it had the statutory authority to investigate road traffic accidents, an issue that he explained had also generated disagreements between the police and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) over the years.

He stressed that the NSIB’s approach to accident investigation was fundamentally different from criminal investigations, noting that the bureau’s recommendations were intended to prevent future accidents rather than punish individuals.

Badeh said the NSIB was working to improve its relationship with law enforcement and other government agencies, adding that the appointment of National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, a former police officer, had also provided an opportunity for better inter-agency understanding.

Recalled that a few weeks after the accident, which claimed two lives of Anthony Joshua’s friends, the NSIB had raised concerns over alleged lack of cooperation from the police in its investigation into the crash.

In January, The Guardian reported that the NSIB’s investigation had encountered difficulties after the Ogun State Police Command allegedly declined to provide the bureau with access to the vehicle’s data recorder.

The bureau had sought to recover the data recorder from the Lexus LX570 involved in the crash, believing that the information could provide valuable evidence about the circumstances leading to the accident.

While the FRSC cooperated with the NSIB, the police had not provided the requested data recorder despite correspondence from the bureau.

The Joshua crash occurred on December 29, 2025, in the Makun area of Ogun State, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Joshua, who was travelling as a passenger in a Lexus SUV, sustained minor injuries, while two members of his team, Sina Ghami and Kevin “Latif” Ayodele, were killed.

Besides, Badeh also disclosed that the NSIB was still awaiting statutory funding expected from some agencies within the transportation sector.

He said the bureau had yet to receive its required 3 per cent funding from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the 6 per cent from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), while the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had been cooperating with the bureau regarding its statutory contribution.

Badeh assured that the bureau was committed to improving collaboration with all agencies involved in transportation safety. (The Guardian)

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