Three die, 11 injured in three Christmas Day crashes

Three persons were confirmed dead and 11 injured in separate road accidents on Christmas Day across the country.

A statement by the Federal Road Safety Commission said a Toyota Hiace car with registration number XA 651 NKR and belonging to Onitsha Mass Transit, crashed into a motorcycle with registration number BND 601 QC on Mile 2/Afikpo.

Two persons were seriously injured and have been taken to the hospital.
Also, at Gada Biyu on Abaji-Gwagwalada Road near Abuja, two persons died and three others were injured when a DAF truck with reg no XA 961 MLF crushed a motorcycle.
The victims were taken to the General Hospital, Kwali while the road has been cleared of obstruction.

One person also died and six others were injured at Chikara, around Abaji when a Toyota Sienna car with registration number YAB 91 AL had a burst tyre.
Meanwhile, FRSC said in a statement by its Corps Education Officer, Jonas Agwu, said it recorded 94 deaths in 191 road accidents across the country in the last five days.
The statement said the figures were given by the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka, after an aerial patrol on Tuesday.

The commission identified over-speeding as one of the major causes of the crashes.
Chidoka expressed serious concern over the development, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

He said, “It is an attitudinal issue as this year witnessed rehabilitation of major corridors of the highways.
“People tend to disregard traffic laws on speed limits and accelerate beyond recommended speed.

“This has resulted in the figures we have witnessed in the last five days.

“However, we have devised measures to address this unpleasant development.”
The statement noted that the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency had rehabilitated many roads.

It noted that the rehabilitation was carried out after the report of an audit conducted by the FRSC was submitted.

The aerial patrol took the team, led by Chidoka, to the Abuja-Lokoja, Lokoja-Okene, Asaba-Onitsha highways and the 9th Mile Corner in Enugu State, among others.

“The purpose of the surveillance is to identify areas of gridlock and resolve them to ease traffic flow,” the statement added.