The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has disclosed that the country recorded 169 deaths, 287 ghastly, 75 minor injuries in road crashes between December 15 to January 15, 2025.
FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, who addressed journalists Monday – today, January 27 – in Abuja, to mark the end of ‘Operation Zero Tolerance’ exercise, noted that five landmark crashes defined the outcome of the number of road traffic crashes, fatalities, as well as injuries recorded.
The incidents include the crash at Jing, Shendam in Plateau State on 20 December, 2024 that killed 11 people; the Bende-Ohafia, Abia State incident on 22 December, 2024 in which 11 people died and the 25 December, 2024 crash on the Kaduna-Abuja expressway that killed 8 passengers, Shehu explained.
Others are the incident that took place at Jebba, Kwara State on Thursday 26 December, 2024 which claimed 30 lives and that of Owo-Ikare route before Ose bridge, Ondo State, on 28 December, 2024 that led to the death of 13 passengers.
According to him, the crashes were the most fatal crashes out of the 37 critical crashes that killed 3 persons or more, accounting for 7% of the total crashes recorded during the period.
He, however, said the data further indicated that those 37 crashes alone resulted in the death of 247 persons, accounting for a whopping 39% of the total deaths recorded within the period.
“It will interest you to note that between 15 December, 2024 and 15 January, 2025, a total of 531 crashes were recorded. Out of these reported cases, 169 were fatal, 287 serious, while 75 were minor,” he said.
To this end, he cautioned motorists and travelers to avoid excessive speed and overloading as much as possible.
“Passengers should avoid boarding trailers and trucks meant for goods; including night trips due to the inherent dangers.
“I wish to notify you that the Corps is committed to achieving its statutory mandate through compliance with the presidential directives to collaborate with the National Orientation Agency with a view to sensitizing the public on the dangers of scooping of fuel from crashed tankers. Management will also continue to motivate staff through enhanced welfare packages.
“It is also expected that our effort at capacity building would provide the required skills and professionalism needed for enhanced productivity.
“On this note, I wish to most respectfully commend the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, for his commitment to enhancing the safety and security of the motoring public, as we look forward to seeing more proactive measures to address the challenges faced by road users in Nigeria,” the Corps Marshall surmised.
