The command said 78 others who sustained varying degrees of injury in the crashes, involving 21 vehicles and 128 people, were swiftly conveyed to hospitals across the zone, while 41 other persons were rescued without injuries during the period.

Reviewing activities in the first three days of the command’s special operation for Sallah, which started on Friday, covering major routes within its jurisdiction in a statement obtained in Osogbo, the acting Zonal Commanding Officer, Leye Adegboyega, further said the corps deployed a total of 3,018 personnel, 57 patrol vehicles, five ambulances and two heavy-duty tow trucks, during the period.

According to him, the personnel from the command covered about 65 major routes across the zone daily to ensure good visibility to reduce avoidable speed-related crashes, while standby rescue teams were also stationed across all commands in the zone for quick response to distress calls from accident scenes.

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The statement further read in parts, “The 2024 Eid El Kabir Sallah Special Patrol Operation is scheduled to be held between Friday, June 14 and Friday, June 21, 2024 across the country. Zone RS11 Osogbo of the Corps, which comprises Osun, Ondo and Oyo states, has keyed into the mission of the operation, which is to ensure a free flow of traffic, minimise the occurrence of RTCs, provide prompt rescue services in the event of crashes and ensure timely clearance of obstructions on all major roads and the critical corridors across the three states of the zone during and after the Sallah festivities.

“For the zone to achieve the mission of the operation, a total of 3,018 personnel (comprising 2,155 Regular Marshals and 863 Special Marshals), 57 Patrol Vehicles, five ambulances and two Heavy Duty Tow Trucks have been deployed across the component commands.

“Included in the roads we cover on a daily basis are the following critical corridors which we give particular attention: i. Ibadan-Lagos Expressway;

I. Ibadan-Ife Expressway; iii. Ife-Ilesa Expressway; iv. Ilesa-Ipetujesa-Akure Expressway; v. Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway and vi. Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway.”

The zonal commander said in the first three days of the operation, they recorded the following achievements: i. The arrest of 737 traffic offenders who were duly contravened for 766 various traffic offences that might otherwise have led to avoidable road traffic crashes. ii. Execution of 219 various public enlightenment activities across the news media, motor parks, churches, mosques and other public places, to drive home the road safety message and create public awareness on the need for safety consciousness. Others were the provision of prompt rescue services for the victims of 13 RTCs which involved 21 vehicles and 128 people, out of which nine unfortunately lost their lives and 78 others sustained varying degrees of injuries and were swiftly conveyed to hospitals across the zone where they sustained cordial relationship, for treatment and 41 other persons who were rescued without injuries and continued their journeys.

On the plans of the command for the future, Adegboyega on behalf of the zone, appealed to the public and all road users to use the roads responsibly and contribute their quota to reduction in the loss of lives and valuable property.