William Manga, the unit commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Badagry Command, confirmed the incident on Monday, Nov. 4.

The accident occurred at about 3:20 pm, near Agbo-Malu Bus Stop, Age-Mowo axis of the expressway.

“Our personnel were alerted about the accident immediately, and we got to the scene at 3.23 p.m., three minutes after they were alerted.

“The Mazda commercial bus, with registration number ABJ 95 YJ and a Toyota car, with registration number KTU 339 YJ, coming from Badagry, were involved in a head-on collision.

“18 persons were involved in the accident but four of them sustained varying degrees of injury.

“The four injured persons have been taken to General Hospital, Badagry, for treatment,” he said.

The commander stated that the accident was due to dangerous driving by the two drivers. He said that the two vehicles involved in the accident had been removed and taken to the FRSC office in Badagry.

Manga appealed to passengers to always caution drivers against speeding, while he also urged motorists plying the road to be conscious of their speed on the one-lane expressway.

MTN is the financier of the dual carriageway that connects Anambra and other South-East states.

The Coordinator, MTN Community Liaison Initiative, Dr Reginald Facah, during a press conference in Amawbia, near Awka, Anambra State, said the road was opened to ease traffic flow for South-East commuters travelling during the Yuletide.

Facah noted that there has been a high influx of traffic along the Onitsha carriageway resulting in gridlock because of the Yuletide season, adding that the essence of opening the road is to decongest the traffic to make travelling seamless for road users.

He said, “Today, we are gathered to temporarily open the partially completed sections of the Enugu-Onitsha Dual Carriage Way, not because the entire project is ready, but because December and Christmas have seen unimaginable suffering on the parts of commuters and drivers on this same road.

“However, with today’s opening of the Amawbia section and the opening of Amawbia flyover, an untrammeled driving experience is once again here for human and vehicular traffic which are usually heat during this period.”

On his part, the Senior Manager Sales, MTN, Emmanuel Okereke, said the organisation is excited to partner with the Federal Government on a road infrastructure tax credit scheme to complete the rehabilitation of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.

Okereke said, “This road does not only connect Enugu and Anambra states; it is a gateway to the rest of the country and Africa. Our commitment is to deliver an expressway that will be the pride of the South-East people and Nigerians in general.”

In his remarks, Sector Commander FRSC, Anambra State, Adeoye Irelewuyi, said, “At festive periods like this, this section of the road always experienced very serious traffic jam at the slightest obstruction to traffic flow usually causes a pile-up in both directions.

“It is therefore with great joy and relief that the Anambra State Command of the FRSC is marking this occasion of the temporary opening of this section.

“We surely believe that it will ease the traffic jam usually experienced at the Amawbia flyover and underpass, as well as reduce road traffic crashes on the stretch.

The Sector Commander appealed to the people of the state and indeed all road users travelling during and after this Yuletide period to always exercise patience.

Earlier, the Anambra State Commissioner for Transport, Patricia Igwebuike, lauded MTN for their timely intervention and encouraged road users to use the road with caution, especially the Yuletide.

This was made known in a statement signed by the Corps Spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem on Saturday.

The sector commander of FRSC, in Bauchi, Yusuf Abdullahi, had on Thursday called for the application of Sharia law to prosecute traffic offenders to stem road crashes in the country.

However, the Corps explained that it is neither a religious nor sectional organisation, but a Federal Government Agency established with a mandate that is guided by the provisions of an establishment Act.

The Corps Marshal, Dauda Biu, has recalled with immediate effect, the Sector Commander to the National Headquarters Abuja, for necessary administrative action for breaching the FRSC regulations and the Standard Operating Procedures

Kazeem said, “It is key to inform the general public that the FRSC is a Government Agency with statutory responsibilities for road safety administration in Nigeria and sensitive to the country’s multi-religious as well as heterogeneous ethnic composition.

“The Corps was founded through Decree No. 45, as amended by Decree 35 of 1992 referred to in the statute books as the FRSC Act cap 141 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. The Act was passed by the National Assembly as FRSC (establishment) Act 2007.

Kazeem said, “It is key to inform the general public that the FRSC is a Government Agency with statutory responsibilities for road safety administration in Nigeria and sensitive to the country’s multi-religious as well as heterogeneous ethnic composition.

“The Corps was founded through Decree No. 45, as amended by Decree 35 of 1992 referred to in the statute books as the FRSC Act cap 141 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. The Act was passed by the National Assembly as FRSC (establishment) Act 2007.

Abdullahi made the call during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Bauchi.

According to him, the laws guiding road crashes are not stringent enough, hence the need for introduction of stiffer laws such as the Sharia Law into traffic rules.

Abdullahi said the measure would instill discipline, encourage respect for traffic rules and promote safe road habits among motorists.

He argued that it would also curtail the spate of ugly scenes on the road occasioned by reckless driving.

“Let us introduce Sharia Law into road crashes, and people will wake up. Our people are too careless, and the vehicle owners don’t bother to check them.

“If we don’t introduce Sharia Law, many road users, especially in this area, would not start thinking twice before doing whatever they want to do. The introduction of Sharia Law will curtail bad behaviour, as most of the crashes are due to negative attitudes by motorists and other road users.

People don’t want to take a rest; they over speed because they want to make money.

“If the law is introduced, by the time you are involved in a crash, it would be investigated; the guilty and his family would also be responsible for anything that happens in that vehicle.

“In a situation where the driver lost his life to a crash, if found guilty, the owner of the vehicle would also be held responsible as it would be revealed that he didn’t do his homework before giving out the vehicle.

“The extant law is working, however, the extent to which it works is very important because in countries where Sharia Law is being implemented, it guides attitudinal conduct to a level that even relatives and friends guide their relations in terms of what to do or not do,” he said.

According to him, the offender is not left alone to bear the penalty, as the Sharia Law equally brings in the family members.

“If stiffer penalties are being attached to road traffic crash offenders, it will go a long way to help us stem all drivers and other road users and make them drive carefully to avoid crashes”.

He noted that the conventional law did not appeal to attitude nor did it take care of conduct to the final end, rather it only looked at the immediate happening while the Sharia law looked deeper into the final happening.

He said, “That is why the Sharia law will be better. If you look at the countries where it is being practiced, it is everybody’s business because your relations and friends know that it cannot be compromised”.

He noted that the data capture in the process of obtaining the new number plates had provided a robust database for the FRSC, which other agencies could benefit from.

Biu pointed out that the new number plates had helped in the recovery of 383 stolen vehicles within 10 years, noting that since the new design of the number plates was introduced in 2011, over 12 million of the number plates had been produced.

He stated, “From our data, the total number of number plates produced since inception is 12,018,646. From the data capture, we have recovered 383 stolen vehicles in the last 10 years; 2013 to 2022.Even the police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, and several other agencies rely on our data from the new design of number plates.”

When asked the number of vehicles currently registered in the country, he said, “The total number of vehicles validly registered into the electronic portal is 6,623,309. The figure is exclusive of state government vehicles.”

Giving an update on the level of implementation of the road crash victims’ rights, he said the Corps was working towards ensuring that vehicle owners were held accountable for the injuries and death of passengers.

He added, “We are working to see how we can pursue their rights. The victims or their families should get compensated. There should be a legal procedure so that the vehicle owners can be held accountable for the injuries and death of passengers. We are working with the Nigerian Bar Association. We worked with some firms before but we want to make it a national affair and that is why we are working with the NBA.”

Meanwhile, the FRSC has warned motorists to be careful while driving during the rainy season to avoid loss of lives and property.

The FRSC spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, gave the charge.

The National Emergency Management Agency warned that there would be extreme weather this year and that this might cause excessive rainfall, dust haze, fog and mist, while high temperature could affect vehicle tyres during the hot season. It also warned that roads and bridges might be affected.

Kazeem stated, “Our message to drivers has always been that driving in the rain can be risky because one’s visibility is reduced. Vehicle owners should ascertain that the windows and windshields are functioning and clean on the outside and the inside. They should routinely check their headlights, brake lights, turn signals and tail light.

“The lights should be on during the day and at night whenever rain starts. Motorists are also advised to reduce their speed during this time and apply the ‘common sense speed’.

He stressed further that since the road tends to be slippery, drivers should ensure that their tyres have adequate grip. “The car tyre is the only contact between the vehicle and the road, so drivers must avoid the use of worn-out or expired tyres. Don’t over-inflate or under-inflate the tyre.”

The acting Corps Marshal, FRSC, Dauda Biu, gave the warning in his keynote address at the 2022 Annual Safety Managers Retreat in Abuja.

Biu, who was represented by the Corps Engineering Officer, FRSC, Assistant Corps Marshal Rindom Kumven, noted that the retreat was basically intended to address certain critical observations made by the Corps regarding the management of fleet operations in the country so far with its attendant consequences.

He also said expert investigations confirmed that the spate of road traffic crashes involving especially fleet operators could have been avoided if all safety managers had been committed to their roles.

The acting Corps Marshal added that the Corps would not hesitate to sanction violators of speed limiters.

He said, “It should be noted that the Corps’ recent appraisal of public transportation vis-à-vis general implementation of the Road Transport Safety Standardisation Scheme has also revealed an unacceptably low level of effective compliance with installation of the Speed Limiting Device.

“Lapses observed included non-installation or tampering with the device, connivance with vendors to secure compliance certificates without actual installation, calibration above the approved speed limits and so on.

“These shall no longer be tolerated as the Corps will not hesitate to sanction violators henceforth.”

Speaking on the ’ember’ month, Biu said, “Please remember that we are already in the ’ember’ months which are usually characterised by increased mobility, a frenzy of activities, pressure to meet targets and unfortunately a period when many drivers (especially commercial drivers) throw caution to the wind by speeding, taking little or no rest at all with its resultant negative consequences (crashes).

“It is our hope therefore that Safety Managers would do the needful to ensure that their drivers observe all required safety precautions of road use within this period and beyond.”

The Sector Commander, Mr Paul Okpe, made this disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Osogbo.

Okpe said that his officers and unit commanders swung into action when the information got to him about the protest which had resulted in gridlock, preventing easy movement of vehicles.

He said that the blockade had been removed and that motorists are plying the routes without any inconvenience.

According to him, the command’s unit commanders and other sister security agencies are present at the scene of the protest to ensure there is no more gridlock and breakdown of law and order.

Okpe, however, said that the command would monitor the situation to ensure that there was no more blockage across Osun for easy vehicular movements.

NANS on September 13, led students within the South-West region to protest the long-running Academic Staff Union of Universities strike, which had lasted for six months.

The protesting students in their hundreds had earlier thronged the highway and blocked the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Shagamu Interchange on Tuesday.

Ahmed Umar, the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps in Ogun State, confirmed this to newsmen in Abeokuta on Tuesday.

He said, “The accident occurred this morning at about 6:25 am, involving a Mazda bus with registration numbers YYY 412 XB and an unregistered truck.

“The Mazda bus driver who was on high speed crashed into the moving truck from behind due to a slight defect on the truck. The truck’s rear lights made to signal vehicles from behind were not functioning.

“A male child was among the dead. The injured victims were taken to the Victory Hospital, Ogere for medical attention while the deceased have been deposited at the FOS Morgue, Ipara.”

The sector commander advised motorists to ensure that everything is working in their vehicle before embarking on any trip while also cautioning them on speed violations.

He sympathised with the family of the victims and advised them to contact the FRSC Ogere for more information about the crash.

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered a total ban on all use of Police SPY Vehicle Number Plates by vehicle owners across the states of the federation without exception.

Oyeyemi, in a statement on Thursday by the Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, while commending the IGP on the ban asked the FRSC personnel to work with the police officers in enforcing the ban.

The statement was titled, ‘Spy Number Plate Ban: Corps Marshal commends IGP, tasks commanding officers to complement Nigeria police to enforce compliance’.

According to Oyeyemi, road users who also parade faded number plates should endeavour to replace them with new ones so as to avoid impounding their vehicles.

Oyeyemi further ordered full force and immediate impoundment of private vehicles that are using commercial number plates

He reiterated the implications of the continued use of faded and other unauthorized vehicle number plates to national security.

The use of the SPY and other unauthorized number plates to continually violate traffic rules and regulations must be brought to a halt, hence the directive given to Commanding Officers to brace up and ensure that they give adequate priority to the enforcement,” Oyeyemi was quoted as saying.

The Sector Commander, Zubairu Mato, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Kano.

He said drivers should buy good tyres, check their wipers, trafficators, and other lighting systems of their vehicles to ensure they were in good condition.

“When the rain is heavy, the roads are very slippery and visibility is dull. Motorists need to drive between 20 kilometres to 30 kilometres on highways while 10 kilometres to 20 kilometres in built up areas so as to avoid road traffic crashes,” he said.

Mato urged motorists to be mindful of potholes and pedestrians crossing the roads.

He further explained that FRSC would go round motor parks and sensitise commercial drivers to desist from excessive speeding and dangerous driving on highways to avert road traffic mishap.

The sector commander added that the command would always continue to participate in filling of potholes on highways as part of its community development service, with the assistance of construction companies to avert road accidents.