The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has disclosed that a staggering 411 Nigerians lost their lives in 2024 while attempting to scoop fuel from overturned tankers. These deaths accounted for 7.6% of all road traffic fatalities recorded during the year.
This grim revelation came from Sector Commander Steve Ayodele of the FRSC Benue Command, who shared the figures during a town hall meeting in Makurdi aimed at discouraging dangerous and unlawful behavior on the roads.
Ayodele emphasized that such tragic incidents often escalate quickly into major disasters.
“Tanker explosions often cause life-threatening burns and destroy shops, vehicles, and infrastructure, while also deepening the economic hardships of victims’ families.”
He also noted that unsafe behaviors—including fuel scooping, reckless driving, and trading near accident sites—turn avoidable accidents into calamities.
In related data from the same briefing, Lagos State of Personnel of the FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, highlighted broader road safety trends:
5,421 fatalities from road accidents occurred nationwide in 2024, up 7% from 5,081 in 2023.
Reported road crashes dropped by 10%, from 10,617 in 2023 to 9,570 in 2024.
Injuries decreased slightly, from 31,874 in 2023 to 31,154 in 2024.
These figures underscore that while overall crash numbers fell and injuries decreased, the proportion of deaths linked to reckless behavior—like fuel scooping—remained alarmingly high.
