The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, has urged local governments in the country to relocate markets from highways.
He made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Public Education Officer of the corps, Bisi Kazeem.
Oyeyemi said that relocating the markets would assist in eradicating road traffic crashes and the attendant fatalities.
He also said it would help in supporting the existing operational efforts of the FRSC aimed at enhancing the safety of the motoring population.
The FRSC boss was reacting to Saturday’s road traffic crash at Akungba Akoko in Ondo State which claimed 16 lives.
A DAF Truck loaded with bags of rice had rammed into stalls in a market as well as two cars and three other motorcycles.
Oyeyemi said the loss of lives and damage to properties could have been avoided.
The corps marshal stressed the urgency of relocating the markets, adding that the FRSC is concerned about the rising statistics of innocent citizens losing their lives
He added that the FRSC had initiated impact oriented operational strategies to curb the menace.
Oyeyemi, however, said that the strategies no matter how good would not yield the desired results if local governments do not relocate the markets.
He also advised road users to be more disciplined, maintain their vehicles regularly and obey prescribed speed limits, especially in crowded places like markets.
“The fatal crash involved a total of 23 people comprising of 11 male adults, three male children, seven female adults and two female children.
“Out of the 23 people involved, a total of seven people comprising of three male adults, three female adults and one male child were rescued with different degrees of injuries and taken to the hospital,” the statement said in part.
It added that the 16 people killed were made up of eight male adults, two male children, four female adults and two female children.The statement also said the corpses had been deposited at the mortuaries at the Specialist Hospital, Ikare, and General Hospital, Iwaro Oka, by FRSC emergency rescue teams
