By Francis Ajuonuma
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported that 1,347 persons lost their lives in road accidents across Nigeria within the first quarter of 2026, despite a marginal drop in the number of crashes recorded nationwide.
The latest Road Transport Data Q1 2026 Report, released by the Bureau on Wednesday, showed that 2,720 road accidents occurred during the period, a slight decline from the 2,731 recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025.
However, the report revealed that road crashes still increased year on year, rising by 2.64 per cent to 2,650 cases from the 2,650 reported in the first quarter of 2025.
The figures underscore ongoing concerns about road safety enforcement, reckless driving, and rising casualty rates on Nigerian highways.
According to the report, serious crashes accounted for the most accidents, with 1,761 incidents, while fatal crashes totalled 714. Minor accidents were put at 245.
The NBS data showed that men accounted for the overwhelming majority of road deaths, with 1,076 male fatalities compared to 271 female deaths.
A similar pattern emerged in injury statistics: 6,547 males sustained injuries, compared to 2,028 females.
Vehicle involvement in crashes also increased slightly during the period, rising from 4,059 in the last quarter of 2025 to 4,078 in Q1 2026.
Commercial vehicles emerged as the worst-hit category, with 2,929 cases, far ahead of private vehicles, which recorded 1,089 cases. Government vehicles accounted for 40 cases.
The report’s geopolitical analysis showed that the North-Central zone recorded the highest number of road accidents, with 752 cases, followed closely by the South-West, with 699 incidents.
The South-South recorded the fewest crashes at 137.
In terms of casualties, the North-West topped the chart with 2,675 cases, followed by the North-Central with 2,544. Again, the South-South recorded the fewest casualties, with 402.
The Bureau identified speeding as the leading cause of crashes across all geopolitical zones, raising fresh concerns about poor compliance with traffic regulations and weak enforcement on major highways.
The report is expected to intensify calls for stricter road-safety enforcement and tougher sanctions against reckless driving nationwide.
