By Ibironke Ariyo
The Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Malam Shehu Mohammed has condemned the spate of bad driving behaviours exhibited by some drivers on Nigerian roads, resulting in fatal crashes.
Mohammed made the condemnation in a statement by the Corps Public Education Officer(CPEO) Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide while sympathising with the families of victims of the fatal crashes that occurred on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway.
He described the accidents as devastating and preventable, and stressed that motorists must imbibe the attributes of safe road use and reject any temptation to flout laid down traffic rules.
He said the Ibadan accident occurred at 9:20am and involved four vehicles, killing 16 and injuring 17 others, adding that the Malo accident occurred at 3:14pm and involved a white Mazda bus, killing 12 and injuring four others.
He also said the fatal accidents occurred at Ajao, in front of Bovas filling station, on Ojoo/lwo road; as well as the Malo accident, both on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway on August 13.
He added that “the Ibadan accident, which occurred at 9:20am, involved four vehicles; a white Mack truck (AKM 548 ZY) which suffered brake failure, lost control and collided with 3 other vehicles: a white Nissan bus (MUB 20 LG), a red Nissan Micra (BDJ 520 YC) and a blue Honda CRV (KRD 707 ER).
“The fatal accident in Malo occurred at exactly 3:14pm, involving a white Mazda bus (DDA733XA).
“Reports received at the national headquarters show that 35 persons were involved in the Ibadan accident, including 14 adult males, 10 adult females, six girls and five boys.
“Of these, 17 sustained varying degrees of injuries, while 16 victims died,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the Malo accident, 16 persons were involved (12 adult males, three adult females and one girl).
“Among them, 12 victims (8 adult males, three adult females and a girl) died, while the remaining four persons (all adult males) were rescued with injuries.
“The injured victims of the Ibadan accident were rushed to Amudalat Hospital, Ibadan for medical attention, while the bodies were handed over to the Nigeria Police Divisional Office, Ibadan.
“The bodies of the 12 victims who died in the accident have been deposited at the FOS Mortuary, Ipara,” he said.
Mohammed, however, ordered the immediate arrest of the driver of the articulated vehicle who fled the scene for prosecution.
The Corps is already intensifying efforts in partnership with the judiciary to ensure that all drivers involved in fatal accidents, apart from having their licenses revoked, also face the full wrath of the law.
