The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has revealed that 411 persons lost their lives as a result of scooping fuel from fallen tankers nationwide in 2024.

Shehu Mohammed, the FRSC corps marshal, said this to mark the conclusion of the “Operation Zero Tolerance” special patrol campaign in Abuja on Monday.

Mr Mohammed explained that the key contributor to the high death toll in the country was the dangerous act of scooping fuel from crashed tankers.

“It is pertinent to emphasise at this juncture that, out of the total fatalities that occurred in 2024, 411 deaths, representing 7.6 per cent of the total deaths, were not primarily caused by the crashes but a secondary factor, which is the very monster we are fighting today: scooping of fuel from fallen tankers,” he said.

Last week, at least 98 people died in a fuel tanker explosion in Niger State when they converged to scoop fuel spilt on the road.

However, Mr Mohammed also revealed that 5,421 people were killed in road accidents nationwide in 2024, a seven per cent increase from 5,081 fatalities recorded in 2023.

He explained that 9,570 road traffic crashes were recorded in the country between January 1 and December 31, 2024.

“Furthermore, 31,154 people were injured in 2024 while 31,874 were injured in 2023, representing a two per cent decrease.

“However, the corps recorded a seven per cent increase in fatalities as 5,421 people were killed in 2024 while 5,081 people were killed in 2023,” Mr Mohammed said.

The corps marshal identified Plateau, Abia, Kaduna, Kwara, and Ondo States as places where the major crashes occurred, with the most devastating happening in Jebba, Kwara State, where 30 people perished.

According to him, the rise in fatalities occurred despite a 10 per cent reduction in the total number of road crashes nationwide, with 9,570 incidents recorded in 2024 compared to 10,617 in 2023.

He, however, attributed the increased deaths to human factors such as reckless driving, overloading, and fatigue.

“Analysis of our annual performance indicates that from January to December 2024, the corps recorded a drastic reduction in road traffic crashes as well as in the number of people injured when compared to the annual record of 2023,” Mr Mohammed said.