By Boluwaji  Obahopo, with Agency Report

LOKOJA -Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, has said 162 persons died in various accidents in the first quarter of the year in Kaduna State. The Zonal Commanding Officer, Mr. Samuel Obayemi, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna, weekend, after decorating four officers who were promoted.

This is even as the commission has deployed 100 of its personnel to patrol the Lokoja-Abuja Road in view of the high rate of accidents recorded along the route.

Kogi State Sector Commander, Michael Olapade, made this known in Lokoja, yesterday, while flagging off Operation Stop the Killings crusade, adding that this became necessary due to increasing rate of auto accidents along the road.

Meanwhile, Obayemi said the analysis of accident statistics in the first quarter of the year, showed that 119 cases were recorded as against 281during the same period last year. He said the positive result was realised in spite of the various challenges of logistics and inadequate public awareness faced by the zonal command.

Obayemi said the number of persons involved in road accidents dropped from 2,403 persons in 2011 to 1,027 in the first quarter of this year, showing a drop by 52.7 per cent.

He said: “The number of persons injured dropped from 1,996 in the first quarter of 2011 to 975 the same period this year, showing a decrease of 1,021 or 51.2 per cent, while the number of vehicles involved in accident dropped reasonably within the period.’’

He listed other challenges facing the zone as the inability of the command to fully enforce the use of crash helmets by motorcyclists and over-speeding by some segment of unregistered road transport workers.

The promoted officers are: Deputy Corps Commander, DCC, Mr. Shehu Usman, promoted to Corps Commander (CC) and posted to Yobe as Sector Commander; David Sayi, who was a Deputy Corps Commander, now Corps Commander and posted to Kebbi as a Sector Commander.

Similarly, Deputy Corps Commander Aliyu Umar, now Corps Commander, posted to Jigawa as a Sector Commander; and Mr. Macharch Jatau, who was Assistant Corps Commander, elevated to Deputy Corps Commander and RS1 Kaduna Sector Head of Administration and Human Resources.