In an head-on collision involving two vehicles on Wednesday night in Ekiti State, no fewer than seven people have been confirmed dead.
Sources reported the accident between an 18-passenger bus and a Toyota sedan on the Iluomoba-Aisegba route resulted in fatalities for all parties involved.
One of the cars lost control while trying to avoid a pothole and crashed with the approaching car that was heading in the opposite direction of Ado Ekiti.
According to Mr. Olusola Joseph, Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Ekiti State, who confirmed the accident, “there were 17 people in the two vehicles. The victims had been taken to the morgue and seven passengers had died.
The FRSC boss, who said that other passengers who sustained varying degrees of injuries were at present being treated at a tertiary hospital in the state capital, warned motorists against over-speeding, which he described as the reason for unwarranted road accident by strictly observing traffic safety rules and regulation.
The police in the state said that they will take more stringent action to combat irresponsible driving, which they claimed was to blame for the high number of traffic accidents in the state and the ensuing loss of life and permanent disability.
Moronkeji Adesina, the commissioner of police for Ekiti State Command, asked residents to “be familiar with the traffic laws and rigorously follow by them to avoid any untoward incident” and stated that the police would continue to prioritise the safety of lives and property.
Adesina was quoted as saying, “The Command has observed that road accidents have become a common and recurring incidence in the state,” in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, in Ado Ekiti titled, “Traffic accident alert.” In reality, scarcely a day goes by without news of a traffic accident that left someone dead or permanently disabled.
“An review of this data reveals that speeding, improper passing, stopping at red lights or stop signs, risky driving, blowing tyres, poor vehicle/motor maintenance culture, inadequate driving instruction, drunk driving, overloading, and exhaustion are the primary causes of these road accidents.
The Command will implement stricter control measures to prevent incorrect and reckless driving in light of this. Therefore, the public is advised to refrain from reckless driving, overspeeding, driving against traffic signals or signs, driving in the wrong direction, driving while intoxicated, and other traffic offences to avoid being arrested and prosecuted, according to the statement.
