The Federal Road Safety Corps, Zone 11 Command, which includes Osun, Ondo, and Oyo States, said on Tuesday that nine people died in 13 traffic accidents under its jurisdiction over the first three days of the Sallah holiday.
The command also stated that 78 individuals who had varied degrees of injuries in the incidents involving 21 vehicles and 128 people were transferred to hospitals around the zone, while 41 others were rescued without injury within the same period.
In a statement obtained in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, the Acting Zonal Commanding Officer for the Zone, Leye Adegboyega, reviewed activities in the first three days of the command’s special operation for Sallah, which began on Friday and covered major routes within its jurisdiction.
He also stated that the Corps deployed a total of 3,018 personnel, 57 patrol vehicles, five ambulances, and two heavy-duty tow trucks during the period.
According to him, command personnel covered approximately 65 major routes throughout the zone on a daily basis to ensure good visibility and reduce avoidable speed-related crashes, while standby rescue teams were also stationed across all commands in the zone to respond quickly to distress calls from accident scenes.
The statement read in part, “The 2024 Eid El Kabir Sallah Special Patrol Operation is scheduled to be held between Friday 14th and Friday 21st June 2024 across the country. Zone RS11 Osogbo of the Corps, which comprises Osun, Ondo and Oyo States, has keyed into the mission of the Operation, which is to ensure free flow of traffic, minimize the occurrence of RTCs, provide prompt rescue services in the event of crashes and ensure timely clearance of obstructions on all major roads and the critical corridors across the 3 states of the Zone during and after the Sallah festivities.
“For the Zone to achieve the mission of the Operation, a total of 3,018 Personnel (comprising 2,155 Regular Marshals and 863 Special Marshals), 57 Patrol Vehicles, 5 Ambulances and 2 Heavy Duty Tow Trucks have been deployed across the component commands. Included in the roads we cover daily are the following Critical Corridors to which we give particular attention: Ibadan-Lagos Expressway, Ibadan-Ife Expressway, Ife-Ilesa Expressway, Ilesa-Ipetujesa-Akure Expressway, Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway, Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway.
“In the first three days of the operation, we have achieved the following: i. The arrest of 737 traffic offenders who were duly contravened for 766 various traffic offences that may otherwise have led to avoidable RTCs. ii. Execution of 219 various Public Enlightenment activities across the news media, motor parks, churches, mosques and other public places, to drive home the road safety message and create public awareness of the need for safety consciousness.
“iii. Provision of prompt rescue services for the victims of 13 RTCs which involved 21 vehicles and 128 people, out of which 9 unfortunately lost their lives and 78 others sustained varying degrees of injuries and were swiftly conveyed to hospitals across the Zone where we sustain cordial relationship, for treatment. 41 other persons were rescued alive without injuries and continued their journeys.”
Adegboyega urged the general public and all road users to use the roads responsibly and pay their fair share to reducing the loss of lives and valuable properties.
