The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), says it recorded 81 road accidents with 46 deaths in Ogun and Lagos States between COVID-19 lock down ease between May 4 and May 31.

Mr Samuel Obayemi, FRSC Zonal Commanding Officer in-charge of the two states, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

Obayemi, an Assistant Corps Marshal, said that the crashes occurred in the four weeks of the Presidential lockdown ease in Lagos and Ogun.

“An analysis of the data of the Enforcement Operation carried out so far in the zone showed that we have a total of 81 road traffic crashes with only 24 fatal where 46 lives were lost.

“Forty-three of the crashes were serious which injured 154 people, while 14 were minor accidents,” he said.

According to him, the total vehicles stopped and returned to their originating places within the period were 2,872 while enforcing the Federal Government ban on inter-state travels.

The FRSC boss said that the zone arrested 770 vehicles for overloading as the most prevalent offence.

Obayemi, who urged motorists to drive with care, said that the lockdown ease should not be another death sentence to road users.

“As the flow of vehicles along major highways in the zone increases, road users should be conscious of safety and be very careful”.

“This is important so that as they run away from Coronavirus, they won’t be killed through careless and reckless driving on the road. Many of these road traffic crashes recorded are avoidable,” he said.

President Buhari had on April 27, announced a “gradual easing” of COVID-19 lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, from May 4″.

FRSC had recorded 57 road crashes with 20 deaths in Ogun and Lagos States in four weeks of COVID-19 lockdown. (NAN)