Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
NO fewer than 72 people have been killed and 374 others injured in 115 road traffic crashes recorded in Taraba State between January and October 2026, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has disclosed.
The Sector Commander of the FRSC in Taraba State, CC Anna Attah, revealed this on Thursday, November 12, 2026, while briefing journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Jalingo, as part of activities marking the 2026 World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
The commemoration was held under the theme, “A Light That Unites Us”*, with the global message, *“Remember, Support, Act”.
Attah said an estimated 50 million people had lost their lives in road traffic crashes worldwide since the first recorded road death, while hundreds of millions had sustained injuries.
She noted that the scale of the tragedy informed the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030, which aims to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50 per cent by 2030.
Providing national statistics, the FRSC commander said Nigeria recorded 10,617 road crashes in 2023, resulting in 5,081 deaths and 31,874 injuries.
She explained that although crashes declined by 10 per cent to 9,570 in 2024, fatalities increased by seven per cent to 5,421, while 31,154 people sustained injuries.
According to her, 10,446 crashes were recorded nationwide in 2025, claiming 5,289 lives and leaving 33,400 people injured.
She added that between January and September 2026, Nigeria recorded 7,156 crashes, with 3,445 fatalities and 22,292 injuries.
Attah stressed that the figures represented more than statistics, describing them as human lives lost, families shattered and communities plunged into grief.
She identified excessive speed and dangerous driving habits as major contributors to road traffic crashes, noting that many incidents were linked to human errors and deliberate violations of traffic regulations.
She listed such offences to include speeding, dangerous overtaking, distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, overloading, fatigue, poor vehicle maintenance and disregard for traffic signs and signals.
“Road traffic crashes do not happen by accident alone. Many are linked to human errors and deliberate violations of traffic regulations,” she said.
The sector commander described road safety as both a collective responsibility and a moral obligation, urging government agencies to strengthen road safety policies and enforcement.
She also called on transport operators to prioritise safety over profit, while appealing to drivers to demonstrate discipline and responsibility on the roads.
Passengers and pedestrians, she added, also had important roles to play in preventing road traffic crashes.
Attah expressed appreciation to the Taraba State Government, led by Governor Agbu Kefas, and members of his cabinet for their logistical support to the FRSC Sector Command in its efforts to protect lives and property across the state.
She urged motorists to adopt safer driving habits, stressing that no journey was worth risking human life.
“Let every driver remember that the vehicle is not a weapon, the highway is not a racetrack, and it is better to arrive safely late than to be late.
“Because every life matters, every journey counts, and every road user deserves to arrive alive,” she said.
