In the last three months, tragic road accidents have resulted in the loss of at least 83 lives and left 102 individuals with various injuries in different parts of the country. Investigations reveal that most of these accidents were caused by high speed and violations of traffic laws by motorists.
The toll of these devastating incidents is staggering. On January 2, a multiple road crash at Aliko Filling Station on the Kaduna-Zaria expressway claimed six lives and injured 11 individuals due to speeding and reckless driving. Similarly, on January 10, three people died, and three others were injured in a collision on the Enugu-Abakaliki expressway in Ebonyi State.
Tragically, accidents continued to occur throughout the month. On January 13, a truck lost control at excessive speed, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to three others waiting to board a bus on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. Subsequent incidents on January 21, including a fatal accident on the Kano-Kaduna expressway claiming 16 lives, further highlighted the severity of the situation.
February and March also witnessed harrowing accidents, such as the multiple collisions along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway on February 1, which claimed two lives and injured eight others. On February 20, a head-on collision between a truck and a Mazda bus in Ogun State resulted in nine fatalities and seven injuries due to excessive speed and route violation.
March saw no respite from tragedy, with accidents like the fatal crash at Tashar Yari village along the Zaria-Kano expressway claiming 12 lives and injuring 28 others on March 4. A similar incident occurred on March 5 along the Owerri-Ihiala expressway, leading to one fatality and eight injuries.
Reacting to the alarming trend, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) expressed deep concern over the increasing rate of traffic rule violations. Mayowa Odewo, the Public Education Officer of the FRSC, emphasized ongoing efforts to educate motorists on road safety and enforce compliance with traffic regulations. Florence Okpe, spokesperson for the FRSC, reiterated warnings that violators would face legal sanctions and urged motorists to drive responsibly to prevent further loss of lives.