The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr. Osita Chidoka, said yesterday that 54 persons died in motor accidents in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states between July and August, this year.
The corps marshal made the fact known in Sokoto at a Special Marshals Sectoral Workshop, with the theme: Advocacy as a Tool for Improved Road Safety Activities.
Chidoka, who was represented by the Sokoto Zonal Commanding Officer of FRSC,? Mr. Alfred Adeboye, said 15 persons died during the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations in August in Zamfara and Kebbi states.
“Twelve of them died in Tsafe, Zamfara. The deceased persons were all district heads from Jigawa State, who were on their way to Argungu, Kebbi State,” he said, adding that the zone, RS 10, came third nationwide in the ranking for accident rates during the period.
“No other disease is killing people in the country like road traffic accidents, and this is a source of concern for all the stakeholders,” he said.
The Secretary to Sokoto State Government, Alhaji Sahabi Gada, said the state government had given priority attention to road construction and rehabilitation to ensure free flow of traffic in the state.
“The state government is committed to partnering and supporting the corps at all levels to facilitate its operations and further sanitise our roads,” Gada said.
The? State Sector Commander, Dr. Aliyu? Gummi, said “our attitude to road traffic rules and regulations falls abysmally short of what is obtained in other countries, including Niger Republic, Ghana and Cameroon.”