FRSC confirms 20 fatalities and 36 injuries in Kogi auto accidents.

In separate auto accidents involving Toyota Hiace buses over the course of two weeks in Kogi, 20 people perished and 36 were injured, according to a Federal Road Safety Corps official.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Thursday was informed by Corps Commander Samuel Oyedeji, Kogi Sector Commander, FRSC, that the fatalities were the result of three different accidents.

Considering the efforts of the corps to prevent traffic accidents on highways, he termed the fatalities within just two weeks as very worrying and terrible.

The sector commander outlined the most concerning incident as the collision of an 18-seater Toyota Hiace bus and a Howo Sono truck on the Obajana-Lokoja route on September 3, which resulted in 12 fatalities and 6 injuries.

"The injured were transferred to the First Nation Orthopedic Hospital Zariagi for medical assistance, while the deceased were given a collective burial at the Central Mosque Obajana.

The vehicle and the victims' belongings are in the possession of the police (MTD) at the Obajana Police Division.

"On September 10, there was a single accident involving a Toyota Hiace bus near Zango, close to the Chukwumereje Roundabout in the Lokoja metropolis, which resulted in five fatalities and fifteen injuries.

A Toyota Hiace bus lost control and crashed into Omoko village along the Abuja-Lokoja road at around 10:30 in the morning, he added. "Just on Sept. 13, three more people lost their lives while 15 were injured."

The FRSC Commander reported that the 15 injured victims were rescued on Wednesday by joint rescue patrol teams from Abaji, Zebra 16 Abaji, and Zebra 13 Gegu.

He claimed that the injured were taken urgently to General Hospital and Ayaura Comprehensive Hospital, both in Abaji.

The three bodies, according to him, were placed in the mortuary of the Abaji General Hospital.

Speeding, overloading, and bad vehicle maintenance practices, according to Oyedeji, were to blame for the accidents. He urged drivers to exercise caution in order to end the carnage and spare the lives of innocent bystanders.

In order to prevent needless traffic accidents on highways, he further recommended drivers to stop driving at night and to strictly comply to traffic laws and regulations.