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Tag: FRSC

  • “If your vehicle is faulty, use caution signs” – FRSC warns

    “If your vehicle is faulty, use caution signs” – FRSC warns

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has issued a strong appeal to motorists to exercise extreme caution during heavy rainfall, recommending either a significant reduction in speed or avoiding driving altogether to prevent accidents.

    Wasiu Ogunmefun, the Sango-Ota Unit Commander of the FRSC, in an interview with newsmen in Ota, highlighted excessive speeding as a critical factor contributing to accidents and fatalities.

    He further advised motorists to prioritize vehicle maintenance, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that brake lights, lighting systems, and wipers are functioning optimally.

    “In addition, drivers of any broken down vehicles should use caution signs at enough distance to give a warning to oncoming vehicles,” he said.

    The FRSC Unit Commander emphasized the critical need for motorists to seek safe parking locations during periods of heavy rainfall, citing the significant danger posed by reduced visibility, which frequently leads to accidents.

    Furthermore, he cautioned against the practice of attempting roadside repairs for vehicle breakdowns, stressing the importance of towing vehicles to remove obstructions that could cause crashes.

    Ogunmefun reaffirmed the FRSC’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding lives and property throughout the rainy season and beyond.

    Motorists were advised by Ogunmefun to engage in defensive driving practices throughout the rainy season, which extends from April to October nationwide, in order to mitigate the risk of accidents.

  • 8 burnt to death in Edo road crash

    8 burnt to death in Edo road crash

    The Federal Road Safety Corps says eight passengers were burnt to death in a fatal road accident that occurred at Agbede community, along the Benin-Auchi road, Etsako West Local Government.

    Mr Cyril Mathew, Edo Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), said this on Monday in Benin City

    Mathew said eyewitness accounts revealed that the accident happened on Sunday when a truck descending the Ewu Hill from Benin towards Auchi experienced brake failure and crashed into several vehicles trapped in traffic.

    The impact reportedly ignited a fire, engulfing the vehicles and resulting in multiple casualties.

    He said the crash involved four vehicles, including two tankers carrying diesel and petroleum products.

    “Based on reports from witnesses, one of the tankers lost its brakes while descending the hill and rammed into other vehicles, sparking a fire,” he explained.

    He further disclosed that two people died on the spot, while four others were rushed to the hospital.

    After the fire was extinguished, he said emergency responders recovered seven bodies, which included the two that died on Sunday.

    “Tragically, one of the injured victims succumbed to his injuries on Monday morning, bringing the total death toll to eight.

    “Eyewitnesses recounted how the truck driver and his assistant shouted, “No brake! No brake!” before crashing into two other vehicles caught in the traffic.

    “The victims were reportedly trapped in the congestion and they were not involved in any illegal fuel scooping,” he said.

    The FRSC commander commended his personnel and local residents for their swift response, which helped prevent further casualties.

  • SAD: 4 dead, 14 injured in Umuahia accident

    SAD: 4 dead, 14 injured in Umuahia accident

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Abia Sector Command, has confirmed the death of four people, with 14 others injured in a crash on the Umuahia-Enugu Expressway.

    Sector Commander, Mrs Ngozi Ezeoma, issued the confirmation in a statement on Saturday.

    Ezeoma stated that the incident occurred at the Ohiya Mechanic area of the expressway on Friday at 2:01 p.m.

    Ezeoma said preliminary investigations suggested that the crash was caused by a burst tyre and speeding, as the vehicle somersaulted multiple times.

    According to her, FRSC Crash Investigation experts will further examine the incident to identify other potential contributing factors.

    The crash involved a white Toyota Hiace Commercial Bus belonging to Ebonyi Transport Corporation.

    It involved 11 male adults and 7 female adults. One female adult died at the scene, and 17 others were rushed to FMC Umuahia.

    While following up on the victims at the hospital, 2 male adults and 1 female adult died, bringing the total number of fatalities to four — 2 male adults and 2 female adults.

    The sector commander expressed sympathy for the injured and commiserated with the families of the deceased.

    She reiterated the command’s commitment to ensuring road safety and urged road users to continue complying with safety rules and regulations.

  • FRSC advises motorists on how to avoid accidents during Ramadan fast

    FRSC advises motorists on how to avoid accidents during Ramadan fast

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun has advised motorists performing the Ramadan fast to ensure adequate rest before driving to minimise fatigue induced crashes.

    Mr Wasiu Ogunmefun, the Ota Unit Commander of FRSC, gave the advice in an interview on Monday in Ota.

    “Motorists should rest very well, especially during this Ramadan period, to prevent them from falling asleep while behind the wheels, thereby leading to accidents,” he told NAN.

    The unit commander said that a minimum of eight hours sleep was required to be alert on the wheels and enjoined motorists  to obey all traffic rules and regulations in order to have safer highways.

    Ogunmefun also admonished motorists to desist from driving against traffic to avoid unnecessary loss of lives during the Ramadan.

    He said that the FRSC was strongly averse to driving against traffic, adding that anyone caught would be arrested and prosecuted according to the law.

    Muslim faithful across the world commenced the 30-day fasting in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar on March 1.

  • Unauthorised number plates: FRSC impounds 350 vehicles nationwide

    Unauthorised number plates: FRSC impounds 350 vehicles nationwide

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has impounded over 350 vehicles with unauthorised number plates within one month nationwide.

    The Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO), Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide made this known in an interview on Monday in Abuja.

    Recall that on February 3, the FRSC began a nationwide operation to impound vehicles with unauthorised number plates.

    The operation is targeted at vehicles with fake registration numbers and illegal use of number plates by private, commercial, government, and diplomatic vehicles.

    Ogungbemide said that the corps launched the nationwide operation to  enhance road safety and national security.

    ”The initial intervention, which began in Abuja, targeted vehicles bearing fake diplomatic numbers, unrecognised number plates, and other related infractions.

    ”The proliferation of fake number plates, poses significant security risks, undermining law enforcement efforts and compromising national security,” he said.

    He said the first intervention took about two weeks in Abuja, the pilot location and was extended to all other states of the federation.

    “We impounded 350 vehicles in one month of the operation.

    ”We imponded vehicles using fake diplomatic numbers, unrecognised number plates. We don’t know where they were printed from and we don’t know who  gave them the permission.

    ”The enforcement is still ongoing. You know it is not the issue of road safety alone. It goes into security too because a situation where you have proliferation of number plates all over the places, it’s a major issue when it comes to the issue of security.

    “That is why we are concerned over it and that’s why we believe the right thing must be done,”he said.

    The FRSC spokesman urged vehicle owners to acquire legal number plates through the National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS), stressing that the process was simple and affordable.

    Ogungbemide explained that vehicle owners could register their vehicles under the NVIS, which provides a secure and reliable means of identifying vehicles.

    He  cautioned against the use of “fancy number plates” without proper authorisation, warning that such actions would attract sanctions.

    He noted that while fancy number plates may be desirable, they must be obtained through legitimate means to avoid compromising road safety and national security.

    “There is what we called Fancy Number Plates under the NVIS. If you feel you want to use a fancy number, if you can afford it, you go for it in a legal way.

    “It is wrong for anyone to just pick up a board and write his name on it. This country has laws, so things are to be done according to the laws.

    “For number plates, the process is very simple. Vehicle owners who can afford millions of naira to acquire a vehicle should be able to spend a few thousand naira to get a legal number plate. It’s a matter of prioritising safety and security,”he said.

    Ogungbemide reiterated the committment of the corps towards ensuring that all vehicles on Nigerian roads operate with legitimate number plates.

    He urged the public to cooperate with its personnel and to report any  suspicious number plates to the nearest FRSC office.

  • 12 burnt to death in Benin-Auchi road crash

    12 burnt to death in Benin-Auchi road crash

    Tragedy struck on Saturday morning along the Benin-Auchi highway as 12 passengers were burnt to death in an accident involving a Toyota Hiace bus and a truck.

    Cyril Mathew, Edo Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), who confirmed the incident, said the crash occurred around 5 a.m. at Igueoviobo community, near an army checkpoint on the highway.

    According to the FRSC official, the bus, which departed from Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and was heading to Benin, collided with an oncoming truck en route Auchi.

    “The entire occupants of the bus were killed in the crash. The accident likely resulted from fatigue, as the driver may have dozed off, leading to the collision,” he said.

    Following the impact, he said, the bus was engulfed in flames, making it impossible to save the victims.

    Matthew noted, however, that the FRSC authorities were able to identify the deceased through the vehicle’s manifest and had since contacted their families.

    He explained that the truck driver and his assistant, fondly called “Motor Boy” escaped unhurt.

    The FRSC boss once again urged drivers to avoid fatigue while on long journeys, advising them to stop and rest whenever they feel tired to prevent similar tragedies.

  • FRSC confirms 12 dead in road accident in Niger

    FRSC confirms 12 dead in road accident in Niger

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Niger Command has confirmed the death of 12 persons and multiple injuries in an accident on the Agaie-Lapai Highway.

    The state FRSC Sector Commander, Kumar Tsukwam, confirmed this to newsmen in Minna on Saturday.

    He said personnel of the corps were still at the scene to collect accurate details of the accident as at press time.

    He assured that the FRSC would conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident and provide updates as soon as possible.

    Meanwhile, eyewitnesses reported that the accident occurred when a bus traveling from Minna to Katcha Local Government Area of Niger collided head-on with a trailer at Jippo Village, near Mashina Community.

    According to the witnesses, three of the deceased women were from the same family.

    Three other passengers, including two women and the driver, sustained varying degrees of injuries and were currently receiving treatment at Lapai General Hospital.

    Speaking from his hospital bed, the driver of the passenger bus, Mohammed Baba, explained that the accident happened when the trailer driver attempted to overtake another vehicle, resulting in the head-on collision.

  • FRSC confirms 7 dead, 1 injured in Kogi auto crash

    FRSC confirms 7 dead, 1 injured in Kogi auto crash

    An auto crash involving an articulated vehicle in Kogi has claimed the lives of seven people, including four students from the Federal University, Lokoja (FUL), while another student sustained injuries.

    Mr Samuel Oyedeji, the FRSC Kogi Sector Commander, revealed the details to NAN in Lokoja on Monday, attributing the accident to brake failure.

    The accident caused a severe traffic gridlock on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja road, leaving travellers stranded for hours.

    The university students, aggrieved by the tragic loss of their colleagues, blocked the highway in protest. Among the deceased were three female students, one male student, and one male student who sustained injuries.

    Oyedeji explained that the articulated vehicle, reportedly from the southern part of the country, was en route to Abuja when the incident occurred at Felele on the highway.

    He said the accident took place around 3:40 p.m., when the truck, carrying timber logs, lost its brakes, veered into the opposite lane, and crashed into a shuttle bus carrying FUL students.

    The sector commander confirmed that both the driver of the shuttle bus and one other passenger were among the seven fatalities.

    “Our officers, in collaboration with the Police and the NSCDC personnel, carried out the rescue operation.

    “The injured student has been rushed to the Federal Teaching Hospital Lokoja for medical treatment.

    “The seven bodies have been deposited at the mortuary of the same hospital,” Oyedeji stated.”

    Oyedeji also disclosed that the truck driver fled the scene, likely out of fear of being arrested.

    He urged motorists, especially drivers of articulated vehicles, to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy before embarking on any journey to avoid endangering lives.

    The highway was eventually reopened after intervention from the State Police Commissioner, Mr Miller Dantawaye, the State Security Adviser, Retired Commodore Jerry Omodara, and the Vice Chancellor of FUL, Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi.

    The officials addressed the students, urging them to remain calm and refrain from further actions that could cause additional hardship to the public, already mourning the tragic accident.

  • Tragedy: 23 dead, 48 injured in Kano auto crash

    Tragedy: 23 dead, 48 injured in Kano auto crash

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said 23 persons have lost their lives in an auto crash that occurred on Thursday under the Muhammadu Buhari Interchange Flyover at Hotoro-Kano.

    At least 48 other passengers also sustained various degrees or injuries as a result of the crash.

    The Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC)  Sector Commander in the state, Mr Umar Matazu, confirmed the accident in a statement in Kano on Friday.

    He said that the accident involved a DAF truck, overloaded with goods and passengers.

    ”The passengers involved were 71 passengers, 67 adults and four children.

    “The injured were taken to the Murtala Mohammed General Hospital for urgent medical treatment,”Matazu said.

    The sector commander said that upon receiving a distress call on the incident at about 9:50 pm, he quickly dispatched his personnel to the scene, where they rescued the victims at about 10 pm.

    Matazu said that investigation revealed that the driver lost control as a result of speeding, veered off the road and summersaulted.

    He condoled with the families of the deceased and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured.

    Matazu, however, warned truck drivers against loading trucks with humans and animals, saying that anyone caught in the dangerous act would face the wrath of the law.

    The sector commander said that the blockade on the road earlier caused by the accident had been cleared, adding that free flow of traffic had since restored.

    He said that the FRSC remained committed to ensuring safety on highways, urging motorists to adhere strictly to traffic regulations to prevent the wanton loss of lives and property.

  • Fake number plates, security threat – FRSC

    Fake number plates, security threat – FRSC

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Command,  has described fake number plate as a security threat that must be addressed.

    The Lagos State Sector Commander, Corps Commander Kehinde Hamzat, said this during the launch of an operation to combat the menace of fake number plates, on Thursday, in Lagos.

    “Today’s operation is specifically targeted at fake number plate. Overtime, we discovered that some of the security challenges happening in the country cannot be traced due to the fact that the source is not known.

    “You can imagine a situation where there is a hiccup and you pick a number of a particular vehicle, thinking you have the registration number, only to check the data base and you cannot locate the particular vehicle.

    “This is a security threat to the country and we say no to some of these things,” he said.

    Hamzat noted that some of the acts of indiscipline on the road were caused by these fake number plates.

    “It is either the perpetrators of these will stop it or they will have it rough with us because there is no going back on this patrol.

    “This is a directive from the Corps Marshal and we are ready to follow that directive to the latter,” he said.

    He added that they would partner with more states to tackle the menace.

    He said that FRSC officials could easily identify fake ones as there are properties on the number plate which could be used to identify which one was fake or genuine.

    “You can see from some of these number plates, the inscriptions written on them, presidency even the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), these are all fake because we cannot trace them.

    “Someone printed these, these are things we must definitely and collectively fight against.

    “On the one written NANS number, this can be used to perpetrate evil and it will become a form of threat to these students, and we should work together as one body to rid this country of these menace,” he said.

    He said that the patrol would be a continuous exercise calling on those with fake number plates to desist from the act because it would no longer be business as usual.

    Hamzat said the vehicles that their number plates had been seized would be impounded and prosecuted appropriately in the court of law.

    Before the officers embarked on the exercise, they were urged by the sector commander to be vigilant and be safety conscious.

    “Safety comes first before any other thing. If you observe a target, there should be a pre-stop, raise your flag, the middle will engage and if they want to escape, the last field will hold. The bike should be on takeoff position. Do not cluster, be vigilant and do the necessary arrest,” he said.