The numbers keep soaring, as in just about 48 hours (July 5-6, 2025), 39 persons lost their lives in Road Traffic Crashes (RTC) that occurred in Kano, Lagos and Ogun states.
Twenty-one persons were killed in a fatal crash along the Zaria-Kano highway. A day earlier, in Ogun State, a separate accident claimed 10 lives, while another eight persons lost their lives in a crash along the Mile 2-Badagry Expressway in Lagos on the same day. Before now, hundreds have also lost their lives on the roads.
The Kano accident, which occured around 8.23am at Kasuwar Dogo in the Dakatsalle area, involved a DAF trailer with registration number GWL 422 ZE and a Toyota Hummer bus with registration number KMC 171 YM. The incident was blamed on traffic violation by driving against the flow of traffic, resulting in a head-on collision with an oncoming trailer.
The Ogun state RTC which happened on Ome Bridge, inbound Awa, Ijebu Ode-Obada Expressway in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, involved a Mitsubishi bus with registration number EJ829 LSR, officials confirmed. Wrong overtaking was said to be the cause of the accident.
In Lagos, the accident occurred at Atura Bus Stop, inward Badagry, and involved a 16-seater Mazda commercial bus with registration number KJA 811 YF and a DAF truck, marked T1 4636 LA. Eyewitnesses said the commercial bus driver was speeding and lost control, leading to a collision with the truck.
All three incidents were attributed to human error- driving against traffic (Kano); wrong overtaking (Ogun); and over speeding (Lagos).
According to the FRSC and other eyewitnesses, the possibilities of the crashes occurring would have been reduced or eliminated if the concerned drivers were more careful.
Remote factors may also be the state of bad roads and insecurity, as drivers struggle to catch up following lost times on bad roads and detours due to security on the highways.
There is an URGENT need to subject drivers, especially the commercial drivers to thorough review and re-training, even as the state of the roads need URGENT attention. Road traffic enforcement agents need to do more.
