You Won’t Believe What’s Causing More Deaths Than Insecurity In Nigeria!
While the country battles insecurity, inflation, and political drama, another silent killer is taking lives daily—our roads. Between January and July 2025, a staggering 112 Nigerians lost their lives in a string of avoidable road crashes. These weren’t isolated incidents. They happened in cities, towns, and highways from Lagos to Abuja, from Ogun to Cross River.
But what—or who—is really to blame?
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the carnage is largely due to reckless driving and vehicle overloading, a stubborn pattern among commercial and private drivers alike. While these seem like tired explanations, the raw numbers and brutal details make it clear: our roads have become death traps, not because of poor construction alone, but because of poor behavior behind the wheel.
The Timeline of Tragedy
Let’s take a painful walk through the timeline:
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January 3, Abuja: A lone vehicle accident claims one life near Mabushi–Nicon Junction.
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February 1, Ondo State: 30 people die after two buses collide and burst into flames on the Ore–Lagos Expressway.
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March 4, Ogun State: 16 perish near Buhari Estate in a fatal crash along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway.
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March 19, Abuja: A multiple-vehicle pileup kills six and destroys 14 vehicles near the Nyanya Bridge.
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April 5, Ogun State: Six more die as trucks and a bus crash near MFM Prayer City on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.
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May 3, Cross River: A crash at Obudu Ranch kills seven Catholic reverend brothers.
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May 31, Kano/Abeokuta: A returning sports delegation suffers one of the worst crashes—21 athletes die as their bus plunges into a bridge.
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June 24, Oyo State: Five die in a multi-car crash involving cabs and trailers on the Lagos–Ibadan route.
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July 6, Lagos/Ogun: Back-to-back crashes claim 18 lives across two states.
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August 14, Abia State: The most recent toll—11 lives lost near Arongwa Village.
These are not just statistics. They were fathers, mothers, athletes, clergy, and everyday Nigerians trying to reach their destinations.
The Bigger Picture: A Culture of Negligence
FRSC spokesperson Segun Ogungbemide minced no words: “There is no driver that will not know that the kind of overtaking he is doing at a bend is dangerous… So why do we deliberately create these unnecessary pressures?”
In plain English: drivers know better, but still choose danger.
The core issues identified:
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Excessive speeding
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Reckless overtaking
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Overloading vehicles
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Mechanical negligence
Overloading, in particular, plays a silent yet deadly role. In many cases, injuries could have been less severe—perhaps even non-fatal—if the vehicles weren’t carrying more people or cargo than they were built for.
Is FRSC Doing Enough?
To their credit, the FRSC has consistently deployed road safety campaigns, patrols, and penalties. But with Nigeria’s exploding population and growing transport demand, enforcement alone may not be enough. There’s an urgent need for:
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Stricter license screening processes
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Compulsory driver re-certification for commercial drivers
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Wider adoption of speed-limiters
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Real-time vehicle monitoring technologies
Public education campaigns also need to go beyond the typical slogans. Nigerians need to see the real consequences of bad driving—not just on signboards, but in schools, religious centers, bus parks, and marketplaces.
Final Thoughts: This Is a National Emergency
Let’s not sugarcoat it: more Nigerians are dying from road crashes than many violent crimes combined. And unlike terrorism or kidnapping, this is something we can prevent—today.
If you’re a driver, check yourself before you wreck someone else. If you’re a policymaker, treat this like the emergency it is. If you’re a passenger, speak up when a driver is putting your life at risk.
It’s not just about saving lives—it’s about changing a culture before we lose another 112.
