‘Why accidented, seized vehicles litter stations nationwide’
The Nigeria Police Force has claimed that more citizens lose their lives to road crashes than insecurity.
Some 8,372 Nigerians reportedly lost their lives to insecurity in 2021 while about 1,718 persons were killed in the last quarter of 2022.
According to a data consulting firm, Beacon, which released the 2021 figures, the larger share of these deaths were recorded in the North.
Notwithstanding, the spokesperson for Force Headquarters, Abuja, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, described the rate at which Nigerians kill themselves through road crashes as alarming.
Adejobi was reacting to a query via X (formerly Twitter) when he argued that Nigerian motorists drive recklessly and are involved in road traffic accidents too frequently.
An X user, Uduh Chukwuma, had questioned the officer on why police stations in the country are littered with accidented vehicles unlike what obtains in Dubai.
Adejobi, however, said: “Stations littered with accidented and seized vehicles are not the fault of the police. It’s a legal matter, and in most cases, the reckless nature of some Nigerian drivers.
“In Dubai, they are not reckless on the road, and you can’t drive in Dubai without being certified and licenced. This is common in Nigeria.
“The citizens comply and respect the law in Dubai. Many of us in Nigeria deliberately disregard and disobey the law. They don’t record as many road crashes as we do here.”
“Be guided that the police can’t dispose of these vehicles without a court order. The process is cumbersome. Note again that the rate at which we kill ourselves through road crashes is alarming.”
Adejobi added: “I know, and based on records we keep, that road crashes claim more lives of innocent Nigerians than the acclaimed insecurity saga in the country.
“Let’s always address issues objectively, without sentiments, so that we liberate and defend this country from our common but avoidable challenges.”
