*Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps has disclosed it recorded 35.3 percent increase in the number of rescued people without injuries from 119 crashes, involving 701 persons during the last Eid-el-Fitr celebrations

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Due to high mobilisation and deployment of personnel and logistics for enhanced visibility of operatives on the highways during the just concluded 2022 Eid-el-Fitr special patrol, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said it rescued 360 people without injuries from a total of 119 crashes involving 701 people in Nigeria.

The regulatory Commission said that the feat was recorded during the last Eid-el-Fitr Special Patrol, which lasted from April 29 to May 4, 2022.

The FRSC noted that the figure gleaned from the  the available data represents 35.3 percent increase in total number of people rescued without injuries.

Mr. Bisi Kazeem, Corps Public Education Officer of FRSC, who disclosed this development stated that 266 people were rescued without injuries in the same period in 2021.

Kazeem, however, stated that 360 persons were rescued during the 2022 Eid-el-Fitr special patrol without injuries, representing 35.3 percent improvement on 2021 record.

The Corps Public Education Officer also noted that the number of persons rescued with injuries from road traffic crashes during the celebration period was 292.

Of the 701 persons involved in road traffic crashes during the 2022 Eid-el-Fitr celebrations, a total of 49 people got killed in road crashes in Nigeria, he said.

Quoting Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, Corps Marshal of FRSC, Kazeem further stated that the Corps now has a wider coverage due to the establishment of more FRSC Commands, outposts, roadside clinics and Zebra points that feed in reports from different routes that were hitherto not thoroughly covered.

Dr. Oyeyemi stressed that the increases in number of road crashes, persons involved, and casualties were due to the reports that emanated from the new FRSC formations across the West African country.

It is recalled the FRSC Corps Marshal, earlier had directed the 2022 Sallah special patrol to cover several corridors, including but not limited to Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Birnin Kebbi; Mokwa-Birnin Yero-Zaria; Maiduguri-Biu-Numan-Jalingo-Wukari; Lafia-Langtang-Pankshin-Jos; Abuja-Lokoja-Okene; Lokoja-Auchi-Benin; Onitsha-Njaba-Owerri-Umuahia, Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomosho; and Ibadan-Ogere-Shagamu.

In view of the directive of the Corps Marshal, a departure from the practice in the past years during which the focus was on critical corridors, Kazeem noted that the Corps intensified its patrol operations and enlightenment campaigns by giving adequate coverage to all identified routes across the country.

Analysing the records for the 2022 special patrol, the FRSC Spokesperson said that a total of 4,701 offenders were apprehended; a total of 5,877 offences were recorded; and a total of 2,259 impoundments were made during the period.

Kazeem disclosed that in 2022, enlightenment through motorpark rallies and Radio programmes also increased tremendously.

According to him, just like the Easter special operations, the Corps did not record any assault on its operatives.

He attributed this to enhanced stakeholders’ collaboration and engagement, increase in public enlightenment, and introduction of the body and vehicle cameras for operatives.