By: Rukayat Abdulahi
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has warned motorists to desist from travelling with petrol in jerry cans in their vehicles.
The Kwara State sector commander of the safety corps, Jonathan Owoade, gave this warning in an exclusive interview with The Informant247 on Monday in Ilorin.
Recall that no fewer than eight persons died in a road accident in the early hours of Sunday.
The incident, which involved a Toyota Hiace Bus with registration number AFN 06 YL and a Toyota Corolla saloon car marked LRN 787 FE with 17 people, occurred in front of the Ilorin Airport along Ilorin-Eyenkorin road.
Owoade, speaking on the crash, said the inferno after the clash was as a result of jerry cans loaded with fuel at the back of the bus.
He said the Toyota saloon car was driving out of the airport while the Lagos-bound Hiace Bus was on top speed along the expressway before they rammed into each other and went up in flames.
Owoade furthered that bodies of the eight persons burnt beyond recognition have been deposited at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, while five who sustained various degrees of injuries are currently receiving treatment at the Ilorin General Hospital.
He stated that three other men inside the saloon car escaped uninjured, adding that among the victims taken to the hospital, there has been no further loss of life.
He said the command is taking necessary steps to get the identity of the people involved in the accident especially the ones burnt beyond recognition to see how their family members could be contacted.
“As passengers, you have the right to talk if your driver is driving you recklessly or you see PMS in the boot, call your rescue line which is 122. You can call it at any time and the FRSC will come to your aid. We cannot go to all the parks at once, which means you also have to take your part as a passenger for your own safety,” he said.
He also urged motorists to always be patient and drive within the regular speed limit, hinting that they are working with necessary agencies and ministries to install speed breakers at necessary points.
He said that FRSC personnel would arrest motorists caught with fuel loaded in their vehicles and any erring motorists who flout traffic rules.