 Yobe State Sector Command has dismissed as false and misleading a media){kind=link}
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Yobe State Sector Command has dismissed as false and misleading a media report claiming that 120 people lost their lives on the Damaturu–Buni Yadi road in 2025.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Command clarified that the casualty figures circulating online were not part of its official records and were wrongly attributed to the Yobe State Sector Commander, Corps Commander Andrew Paul Longkam. According to the Command, the Sector Commander neither granted the alleged interview nor supplied the statistics quoted in the report.
Rather than recording 120 deaths on the Damaturu–Buni Yadi corridor, the Command explained that its verified 2025 crash statistics were publicly presented during its end-of-year press briefing. The data showed a 26 per cent reduction in road traffic crashes across the state, dropping from 158 cases in 2024 to 117 in 2025.
Despite the reduction in crashes, the number of people involved in road accidents rose slightly from 1,549 in 2024 to 1,664 in 2025. The Command also reported an increase in the number of persons rescued without injury, from 604 to 623 within the same period.
Additionally, enforcement operations led to the arrest and sanction of 13,538 traffic offenders statewide in 2025, reflecting intensified efforts to improve road compliance.
While acknowledging ongoing infrastructure challenges along certain routes, including the Damaturu–Buni Yadi axis, the FRSC stressed that it is inaccurate to single out that corridor with unverified fatality figures or suggest official confirmation from the Sector Commander.
The Command reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and evidence-based reporting, noting that all crash data are released during official briefings. It also highlighted its alignment with the Corps’ 2026 Corporate Strategic Goals, which aim to achieve a 10 per cent reduction in road traffic crashes nationwide through stricter enforcement, expanded public education, compliance with speed limiting devices, and strengthened stakeholder collaboration.
The Yobe State Sector Command called on the media platform responsible for the publication to correct the report, emphasizing that accurate information is essential to public accountability and collective road safety efforts.