Adeniyi Kayode’s 19-year-old son, Ifeoluwa Adeniyi, has told The Guardian that his father has never been charged with reckless driving.

Despite the family’s hysterical situation, young Ifeoluwa summoned courage to speak with The Guardian after his dad was whisked away to Sagamu Correctional Centre to complete his bail papers, which were set at N5 million (£2,580) in bonds.

His dad had been charged in court by the Ogun State Police Command for manslaughter.

Adeniyi was the driver of the ill-fated vehicle carrying heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua and two of his friends, who didn’t survive after the vehicle rammed into a stationary truck along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

“The family is very upset by what happened and we are sorry for the deaths of the two people. Dad is not a fast driver; he was following the speed limit when the brakes failed. He said he was pushing the pedal, but nothing was happening,” Ifeoluwa said.

“He tried to swerve and avoid the truck parked by the side of the road, but hit it. He’s been driving Anthony for three years; he’s a good driver. In a chat with The Guardian in Sagamu, the driver’s lawyer, Olalekan Abiodun, defended his client and described the accident as unfortunate.

“My client has pleaded not guilty, and what happened was an accident. I haven’t had a chance to speak with him yet, but I know he says the brakes didn’t work.

“I also understand that the journey started in Lagos and that initially Anthony had got into the front seat, but the driver asked him to swap seats. He did this because Anthony is a big fellow, and so the driver couldn’t see the wing mirror properly, which was why he asked him to move to the seat behind the driver’s seat.

“From what I understand, Latif changed seats with Anthony,” the lawyer said.

“I know that when the journey started in Lagos, Anthony was sitting in the front by the driver, but my dad asked him to sit behind because he was blocking his view.

“He was taking Anthony to see his family in Sagamu and had picked them up from the airport. They were only a few minutes from arriving.

“It’s not his fault, if the truck wasn’t parked there illegally, this wouldn’t have happened.’ he told The Guardian on Friday.