World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua recently survived a fatal crash on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway near Makun, Ogun State. The accident involved a sport utility vehicle and claimed the lives of two foreign nationals, whose remains have been deposited at Livewell Mortuary in Sagamu. The Ogun State Government has condoled with the families of the deceased and said investigations into the crash are ongoing.
Over the years, several Nigerian entertainers have also narrowly escaped death in car accidents. Here are some notable cases.
Harrysong survived a serious crash on June 24, 2016, while travelling from Owerri to catch a flight to Lagos for a Project Fame Season 9 performance. The Afro pop singer later took to Instagram to thank God for sparing his life, saying he once thought he was “crossing over to the other side”.
Grammy-winning singer Burna Boy was involved in a lone accident with his Ferrari 458 in Lekki, Lagos, on February 26, 2022. He confirmed the incident on Instagram, saying his leg hurt but he was fine, and noted that many bystanders chose to record him instead of offering help.
Gospel minister Dunsin Oyekan survived an auto crash on September 3, 2022, while travelling from Lagos to Ibadan for a church programme. He later told worshippers that he had been sleeping when his jeep ended up under a trailer, describing his survival as a clear miracle, though one crew member sustained minor injuries.
Another gospel singer, Bamidele Adeek, popularly known as Sensational Bamidele, also escaped death in a crash in Rivers State. He revealed that his vehicle, carrying some of his crew, had a head-on collision and somersaulted about eight times, but they survived, which he attributed to divine intervention.
Rapper Sodiq Abubakar Yusuf, known as CDQ, survived a crash in Lagos on August 15, 2023. He shared videos of his badly damaged Ford Mustang on Snapchat, hinting that the car was a write-off and expressing concern about possible internal injuries.
Nollywood actress Bukola Arugba also recounted surviving a frightening crash on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, a day before her birthday. She said another vehicle hit her car suddenly, causing it to spin and strike different angles before stopping at the edge of the bridge, adding that they repeatedly called on the name of Jesus during the ordeal.
Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface survived a car crash hours after helping Bayer Leverkusen beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2–1 in the German Bundesliga. In now-deleted social media posts, he shared images of his wrecked car and wrote that God is the greatest and that his time had not yet come.