The Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Police Force, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, revealed that road crashes claim more lives in Nigeria than incidents related to insecurity.
Adejobi emphasized the need for increased awareness and campaigns against reckless driving to curb the rising number of avoidable accidents.
Responding to a user’s suggestion during the World Police Summit in Dubai, where Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, was in attendance, Adejobi addressed concerns about the organization of police stations in Nigeria and the prevalence of accidents and seized vehicles.
Adejobi explained, “Stations littered with accident(ed) and siezed vehicles are not the fault of the police. It’s a legal matter and, in most cases, reckless nature of some Nigerian drivers.”
Drawing a comparison with Dubai, he highlighted the disciplined adherence to traffic laws, certification, and licensing for drivers in the UAE. He stressed the importance of citizens complying with and respecting the law, citing that many in Nigeria deliberately disregard and disobey traffic regulations.
He stated, “They don’t record many road crashes as we do here and be guided that the police can’t dispose of these vehicles without a court order. The process is cumbersome.”
Adejobi continued, expressing concern about the alarming rate of road crashes in Nigeria, stating, “Note again that the rate at which we kill ourselves through road crashes is alarming. I know, and based on records we keep, that road crashes claim more lives of innocent Nigerians than the acclaimed insecurity sagas in the country.”
Promising to release detailed statistics on road crash fatalities, he remarked, “I will soon release the figures, and you can see how we lose innocent Nigerians to road crashes.”
Adejobi shared a personal tragedy, revealing that he lost two family members in a single day due to a reckless crash caused by a commercial vehicle driving against traffic.
He urged for a collective effort to campaign against reckless driving and crashes in Nigeria.
