CLAIM:
Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun personally visited world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua in the hospital after his road accident and stayed for several hours to supervise his treatment alongside Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
BACKGROUND
Following the road accident involving world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua on December 29, 2025, reports by several media outlets, including Punch, News Direct, and Penpusher, claimed that Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun visited Joshua in the hospital after receiving information about the incident. The reports further stated that Abiodun and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu spent several hours at the hospital to monitor Joshua’s condition and ensure he received adequate medical attention.
The accident reportedly occurred along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and claimed the lives of Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, members of Joshua’s training team.
Subsequently, the Deputy Head of Mission at the British High Commission, Simon Field, visited Anthony Joshua in the hospital and held discussions with Governor Dapo Abiodun and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as British officials monitored developments surrounding the incident.
VERIFICATION
To verify the claim, available reports, official statements, and supporting evidence were examined.
Governor Abiodun was quoted as saying that he immediately proceeded to the hospital upon learning of the accident and personally supervised Joshua’s treatment alongside Governor Sanwo-Olu.
However, findings revealed that at the period when the accident occurred and discussions about the visit emerged, Governor Abiodun was reportedly in Ghana attending a wedding ceremony. Evidence from photographs and his publicly known itinerary indicated that he was not physically present at the hospital. Instead, the visit was carried out by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, acting on behalf of the Ogun State Government.
No independent evidence, such as photographs, videos, or credible eyewitness accounts, was found to confirm that Governor Abiodun personally visited Anthony Joshua or remained in the hospital for several hours.
VERDICT:
FALSE
There is no verifiable evidence that Governor Dapo Abiodun personally visited Anthony Joshua in the hospital or remained there for several hours to supervise his treatment. However available evidence suggests that the governor was outside Nigeria at the time of the accident.
By : AFOLABI MUNSIRAT OLATORERA, AYINDE OLAWUNMI AMINAT, OLUGBEMI VICTOR KAYODE, SUNMONU ADEOLA
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