From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), yesterday, said it recorded 632 road crashes with180 fatalities between December 15, 2020 and January 15, 2021, while the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said it recorded 53 road emergencies with 12 fatalities, bringing the total number to 684 crashes with 192 deaths within the same period.
FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, stated this yesterday, in Abuja during the opening ceremony of ‘After Action Review’ organised to appraise the recently launched ‘Operation Eagle Eye’ in collaboration with NEMA.
Oyeyemi, represented by Deputy Corps Marshal, Hyginus Omeje, hinged the high casualty figures to loading pattern and some of articulated shock.
“All together, we had 632 crashes. 180 out of the number were fatal, that is somebody died, while 362 were very serious and 100 were minor. In all this, we lost about 585 lives. It is much. It points to the fact of the loading pattern of some of these truck drivers in which people will hang on top of the truck and in the event of the crash, the vehicles empty them as if they are sand or granite.”
NEMA’s Director General, Mohammadu Muhammed, who described Operation Eagle Eye, as a flagship product of the agency targeted at enlightening road users on the rules and regulations guiding road usage, said NEMA deployed 48 specialised vehicles, including the Mobile Intensive Care Ambulances, 431 personnel and volunteers for the operation nation-wide.
“The agency in collaboration with stakeholders responded to 53 road emergencies across the Zonal Territorial and Operation Offices (ZTOs) covering 84 routes. Unfortunately, 12 fatalities and 88 injuries were recorded on these routes. These unfortunate incidents on our roads once again bring to the fore the need for road users to be careful at all times and adhere to all safety measures,” he said.
He was represented by the Director of Search and Rescue, Edward Adedokun.
