Mr Shehu Muhammed, Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), says no fewer than 1,539 persons lost their lives in road crashes on the Jos-Lafia-Makurdi corridor between January and March 2025.
The Corps Marshal stated this during a courtesy visit to Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State on Wednesday in Lafia, for the launch of the “Operation Sanity” initiative in the State.
Muhammed revealed that annual death reports due to road crashes indicated that 1.19 million people died in the world, many of them from Africa, in 2024.
He further said that Nigeria alone recorded 5,081 fatalities and 31,871 injuries in 2024, a situation he said was unacceptable.
“Between January and March 2025, 1,539 Nigerians lost their lives in the Jos-Lafia-Makurdi corridor, 30 deaths and 339 injuries occurred this quarter.
He said that the ongoing construction of flyovers and underpasses, as well as the reconstruction of some Federal Government roads linking the state with the Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, and Kogi States, would ensure seamless land transportation.
“If the roads are good, it would go a long way to reduce road crashes as well as congestion,” he said
“In Nigeria, the Bureau of Statistics has estimated the cost of road crashes at a yearly 2 percent of the country’s GDP.
“Considering this huge socioeconomic cost of road crashes, I have to commend His Excellency for taking the bull by the horns to flag off Operation Sanity in Nasarawa State,” he added.
On his part, Gov. Sule, who launched the Operation Sanity initiative, commended the FRSC for rising to the challenge of reforming road safety culture, saying reckless driving had become endemic in the country.
“You have a very important job just like all members of your team, to be able to save the lives of people on the road.
“It is not an easy thing to do, especially in a country where a lot of people just enjoy driving at a very high speed,” he stated.
