Road accidents kill more Nigerians than insecurity  —  Police PRO

The Force PRO said this on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, while responding to a comment by a Nigerian on X formerly Twitter.

The X user asked the police spokesperson to tell the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, who was attending the World Police Summit in Dubai, UAE, to observe the organisation of the Dubai police and how their stations are not littered with seized vehicles.

Reacting to the comment, Adejobi said the police force is not responsible for the crashed vehicles in Nigerian police stations.

Adejobi attributed the situation to the recklessness of Nigerian drivers, adding that Dubai police stations can’t be littered with damaged vehicles because residents of the city don’t drive recklessly.

“Stations littered with accident(ed) and seized vehicles are not the fault of the police. It’s a legal matter and, in most cases, the reckless nature of some Nigerian drivers. 

“In Dubai, they are not reckless on the road, and you can’t drive in Dubai without being certified and licensed. This is common in Nigeria. The citizens comply and respect the law in Dubai,” Adejobi said.

He further explained that Nigerian police stations have many damaged vehicles in their yards because the police can’t get rid of them without a court order.

“Many of us in Nigeria deliberately disregard and disobey the law. They don’t record many road crashes as we do here and be guided that the police can’t dispose of these vehicles without a court order,” he disclosed.

Adejobi also maintained that Dubai doesn’t record many road crashes because residents of the city don’t disobey the law. He attributed this to the reason road accidents are rife in Nigeria, and according to him, road crashes kill more Nigerians than insecurity.

“The process is cumbersome. Note again that the rate at which we kill ourselves through road crashes is alarming. I know, and based on records we keep, that road crashes claim more lives of innocent Nigerians than the acclaimed insecurity sagas in the country,” the force PRO said.

He, therefore, urged Nigerians to always address issues objectively, without sentiments to liberate and defend the country from common but avoidable challenges.