Over 1500 Nigerians Confirmed Dead in Road Crash in 3 Months

• Nigeria saw a troubling surge in road traffic fatalities during the first quarter of 2025, with 1,593 lives lost despite a slight decline in the total number of crashes
• The severity of accidents intensified, leading to a rise in casualties as reckless driving, excessive speed, and overloaded vehicles continued to plague the nation’s highways
• Authorities have urged motorists to comply with safety regulations to curb the growing menace of deadly crashes

Nigeria witnessed a disturbing rise in road traffic fatalities during the first quarter of 2025, despite a slight decrease in the total number of crashes.

Official figures from the Federal Road Safety Corps indicate that 1,593 people lost their lives in road accidents between January and March 2025.

This marked an 8.3 percent increase from the 1,471 fatalities recorded during the same period in 2024.

The number of injured persons also rose by 7.4 percent, with 9,298 injuries documented in contrast to 8,659 the previous year.

Traffic crashes nationwide

While the total number of crashes declined slightly by 0.9 percent, the severity of accidents intensified, resulting in more deaths and injuries. The FRSC recorded 2,650 road traffic crashes nationwide, compared to 2,674 in the first quarter of 2024.

Reports from national newspapers highlighted that at least 131 people died in major accidents across eight states within the first two months of the year.

On February 1, thirty passengers were burned to death in a fiery crash at Mile 49 on the Ore-Lagos Road in Ondo State. The collision, caused by two commercial buses driving against traffic, led to an inferno that made identification impossible.

A similar tragedy occurred on January 11 in Plateau State when a crash in Kwana Maciji claimed 19 lives and injured 11 others during a wedding ceremony. The accident transformed a joyous occasion into grief.

Another catastrophic event took place on February 14 in Kano under the Muhammadu Buhari Interchange Flyover. A DAF trailer carrying goods and passengers lost control due to reckless driving and excessive speed.

The crash left 23 people dead and 48 others injured. In Kwara State, on January 22, an accident in the Oko-Olowo area killed 18 people in a collision involving a trailer transporting cattle and a mini-truck. Excessive speed was cited as the primary cause.

Several accidents also struck Lokoja, including a devastating crash on January 14 at the Zone 8 Roundabout that left six people dead and 60 injured.

Crashes in Enugu and Bauchi

The FRSC reported that an articulated truck traveling from Bauchi to Enugu lost control, leading to the accident. Additionally, on February 17, six students of the Federal University Lokoja lost their lives in a crash along the Felele–Abuja Highway.

Other significant road crashes occurred across the country. On January 10, nine people were killed in Dankama, Katsina State, when a trailer carrying cows and passengers overturned while avoiding a woman who had fallen from an overloaded vehicle.

The first major reported accident of the year happened on January 2 in Gombe State, where seven people lost their lives in a lone crash involving a trailer transporting passengers and soft drinks. Brake failure was suspected as the cause.

On February 22, in Niger State, 12 people died in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a trailer at Nami village.

Regional statistics

Regional statistics revealed that the North-Central zone recorded the highest death toll with 48 fatalities, followed by the North-West with 32.

The South-West experienced a devastating loss of 30 lives in a single crash in Ondo State, while the North-East saw seven deaths in Gombe.

A pattern of vehicle involvement in fatal crashes emerged from reports, pointing to the prevalence of commercial buses, articulated trucks, and trailers in deadly accidents.

Overloading, reckless driving, and excessive speed were frequently cited as contributing factors. The FRSC’s annual report confirmed that buses accounted for the highest number of crashes, followed by articulated trucks and trailers.

Recent incidents supported these findings, with overloaded buses, such as those involved in the Mile 49 Ore-Lagos crash, facing head-on collisions and devastating fires. Similarly, articulated trucks played a significant role in accidents in Kano and Lokoja, while trailers overloaded with passengers and livestock led to severe crashes in Kwara, Katsina, and Niger.

The FRSC identified speed violations, reckless driving, and mechanical failures as key causes of the recent auto crashes.

Excessive speed led to the loss of control in the Kwara, Kano, and Niger incidents. Reckless driving was responsible for the tragic Mile 49 Ore-Lagos accident, where buses collided while traveling against traffic.

Wrongful overtaking resulted in the Katsina crash, while mechanical failures such as brake malfunctions contributed to the Gombe tragedy. Overloading further exacerbated the risk, particularly among trailers carrying both passengers and goods.

Many feared dead in fatal accident

Legit.ng earlier reported that a fatal accident has reportedly claimed the lives of many people at the Karu bridge along the Abuja-Keffi expressway.

It was gathered that the accident involved a trailer and a vehicle conveying sachet water, commonly referred to as 'pure water'.

Source: Legit.ng