According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), 411 people died nationwide in 2024 while collecting fuel from downed tankers.

This was said by FRSC corps marshal Shehu Mohammed to commemorate the end of Monday’s “Operation Zero Tolerance” special patrol blitz in Abuja. Mr. Mohammed clarified that the hazardous practice of collecting fuel from downed tankers was the main cause of the high death toll in the nation. He stated, “It is important to emphasize at this point that, of the total number of deaths that took place in 2024, 411 deaths, or 7.6% of the total number of deaths, were not primarily caused by the crashes but rather a secondary factor, which is the very monster we are fighting today: scooping of fuel from fallen tankers.”

When they gathered to pick up fuel that had spilled on the road, a fuel tanker explosion in Niger State last week claimed the lives of at least 98 individuals. But Mr. Mohammed also disclosed that 5,421 people died in traffic accidents across the country in 2024, a 7% rise from the 5,081 deaths in 2023. He clarified that between January 1 and December 31, 2024, 9,570 traffic accidents were reported nationwide. Additionally, there were 31,154 injuries in 2024 compared to 31,874 in 2023, which is a 2% drop. “But, the corps reported a 7% rise in mortality, with 5,421 persons died in 2024 compared to 5,081 in 2023,” Mr. Mohammed stated.

According to the corps marshal, the most catastrophic crashes happened in Jebba, Kwara State, where 30 persons lost their lives. Other big crashes happened in Plateau, Abia, Kaduna, Kwara, and Ondo States. He claimed that even though there was a 10% decrease in the overall number of traffic accidents in the country—9,570 in 2024 as opposed to 10,617 in 2023—the number of fatalities increased. However, he blamed human causes including exhaustion, overloading, and careless driving for the rise in fatalities. “When compared to the yearly record of 2023, an analysis of our annual performance shows that from January to December 2024, the corps recorded a substantial reduction in road traffic crashes as well as in the number of individuals injured,” Mr. Mohammed stated.