The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has rescued 25 road traffic crash victims alive from the avoidable road traffic crash that occured at Ugwu Onyeama on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway on 11 June, 2024 at 1900HRS.
Corps Commander, Corps Public Education Officer, Olusegun Ogungbemide who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja noted that the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed has directs full investigation and speedy prosecution of the driver responsible for the fatal crash.
According to Ogungbemide, the preliminary crash investigation report revealed that the crash which was caused by speed violation involved 7 vehicles comprising of a black Toyota Matrix bearing the following registration details ENU742NL, a white Suzuki Hijet mini bus ENU982XY, a Custom Toyota Highlander jeep JRV247HK, and a blue Toyota Corolla with registration number UWN16AP.
Others are; a Toyota Rav 4, a Red Mack Tanker and a Mazda vehicle.
He said that the FRSC emergency rescue teams deployed to carryout rescue operations reported that the crash involved a total of 29 people comprising of 20 male adults and 9 female adults. From the number, 10 victims comprising of 8 male adults and 2 females sustained different degrees of injuries.
“Unfortunately, 4 victims were killed as a result of the crash. FRSC investigation report indicates that of the 4 fatalities recorded, 2 victims were killed on the spot while the remaining 2 died in the hospital.
“The injured victims were rescued to orthopedic hospital, Enugu while the dead bodies have been deposited in Park Lane hospital morgue.
“Expectedly, as a result that the Corps Marshal had earlier emphasised on the need for maximum penalty for these drivers, Shehu Mohammed reaffirmed the position of the Corps on deepening its ongoing prosecution of drivers who by their actions cause road traffic crashes in Nigeria, noting that the driver responsible for the Ugwu Onyeama crash will not be spared.
“As such, he called on the Judiciary, leadership of transport unions and other relevant stakeholders in the road transportation sector to join hands with the Corps towards restoring sanity through speedy and effective prosecution of traffic violators, especially those who cause crashes on our roads.”
He recalled that the Corps Marshal had during his inaugural address to the press, drawn the attention of road users to issues of imbibing moral and ethical rebirth, which have become a major issue in the country.
He warned against traffic violations citing instances where they resulted in avoidable crashes with fire outbreak, leading to wanton loss of precious lives and destruction to properties.
According to him, there is no going back on prosecuting erring drivers.
