The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) arrested 21,580 traffic offenders across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between January and December 2024, marking a significant reduction in the number of violations compared to the previous year.
This was disclosed by the FRSC Corps Marshal, Malam Shehu Mohammed, during a press briefing on Monday in Abuja, where he also revealed that 411 people lost their lives in incidents related to scooping fuel from crashed tankers throughout the year.
Mohammed explained that the 2024 figures represented a decrease in traffic offences from 29,220 reported in the same period in 2023, reflecting a 26 percent increase in compliance with traffic rules and regulations.
“The total number of offences committed in 2024 stood at 25,942, which signifies a 23.5 percent reduction in traffic law violations compared to the previous year,” the Corps Marshal stated. He further highlighted that the annual performance analysis indicated a marked reduction in Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs), with 9,570 crashes recorded in 2024—down from 10,617 in 2023, a 10 percent decrease.
The number of people injured in road crashes also declined, with 31,154 injuries in 2024, compared to 31,874 in 2023, representing a two percent reduction.
However, despite the overall improvements, fatalities saw a seven percent increase. In total, 5,421 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2024, up from 5,081 in 2023. Mohammed pointed out that a significant portion of these deaths 411 fatalities, or 7.6 percent were caused by people scooping fuel from fallen tankers after accidents. He referred to this practice as a “monster” the Corps continues to fight.
“If we exclude the fatalities from fuel scooping, the total number of deaths would have been 5,010,” Mohammed clarified.
The Corps Marshal reiterated the importance of continued vigilance and compliance with road safety regulations to prevent further loss of life and reduce accidents on the nation’s roads.
