The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has reported that 411 Nigerians lost their lives in 2024 while attempting to scoop fuel from fallen tankers, a dangerous practice that has been a major concern for the agency.
In addition, the FRSC revealed that it arrested 21,580 traffic offenders across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between January and December 2024.
FRSC Corps Marshal Malam Shehu Mohammed shared these findings on Monday during a press briefing in Abuja, where he also discussed the corps’ special patrol operations for 2024.
Mohammed noted a significant reduction in traffic violations in 2024 compared to the previous year. “This signifies a 26 percent increase in compliance to traffic rules and regulations,” he said, explaining that the number of offenders had decreased from 29,220 in 2023 to 21,580 in 2024.
The total number of traffic violations for the year stood at 25,942, marking a 23.5 percent drop from the previous year.
In terms of road safety, the FRSC also recorded a decrease in road traffic crashes (RTCs). A total of 9,570 RTCs were reported in 2024, a 10 percent reduction from the 10,617 incidents in 2023.
Although injuries were slightly lower in 2024 (31,154) compared to the previous year (31,874), fatalities saw an increase. In total, 5,421 people lost their lives in 2024, compared to 5,081 in 2023, reflecting a 7 percent rise in road traffic fatalities.
However, Mohammed highlighted that the 411 deaths from scooping fuel accounted for a large portion of the increase. “These deaths were not primarily caused by crashes, but by the secondary factor of people scooping fuel from fallen tankers,” he explained. Without these fatalities, the death toll for 2024 would have been 5,010.
The FRSC Corps Marshal emphasized that this dangerous activity remains a major challenge and a significant factor contributing to preventable deaths on Nigerian roads.
