The Federal Road Safety Corps, Yobe State Sector Command, has faulted an online publication alleging that 120 lives were lost along the Damaturu–Buni Yadi road in 2025, describing the report as misleading and inaccurate.
In a statement made available to PUNCH Online on Sunday, the Command said the report wrongly attributed certain comments and casualty figures to the Sector Commander, Corps Commander Andrew Paul Longkam.
According to the statement, the Sector Commander did not grant any interview to the reporter in question and did not provide the figures published in the report.
“The attention of the FRSC Yobe State Sector Command has been drawn to a publication alleging that 120 lives were lost along the Damaturu–Buni Yadi road in 2025 and attributing certain statements to the Sector Commander, Andrew Paul Longkam.
“The Command wishes to categorically state that the Sector Commander did not grant any interview to the reporter in question, nor did he provide the figures as published in the said report.
“The publication is therefore misleading and does not accurately reflect the official crash statistics of the FRSC Yobe State Command,” the statement read.
Providing clarification, the Command said the officially released 2025 crash data for Yobe State were presented during its end-of-year press briefing.
It disclosed that road traffic crashes reduced by 26 per cent, from 158 cases recorded in 2024 to 117 cases in 2025.
However, fatalities increased from 78 in 2024 to 115 in 2025, while injuries rose from 867 to 926 within the same period.
The statement added that the total number of persons involved in road traffic crashes increased from 1,549 in 2024 to 1,664 in 2025, while persons rescued without injury rose from 604 to 623.
The Command further revealed that 13,538 traffic offenders were arrested and sanctioned across the state in 2025.
It stressed that the figures represented statewide data and were transparently made available to journalists during the official press engagement marking the conclusion of 2025 road safety activities.
While acknowledging existing road infrastructure challenges in some corridors, including the Damaturu–Buni Yadi axis, the Command maintained that it was incorrect to attribute unverified casualty figures to the FRSC or suggest that such statistics were officially confirmed by the Sector Commander.
The statement added that the Command remained committed to data-driven interventions in line with the Corps’ 2026 Corporate Strategic Goals aimed at achieving a 10 per cent reduction in road traffic crashes nationwide.
According to the Command, strategies to achieve the target include intensified enforcement against speeding and other critical offences, expanded public enlightenment campaigns, strict enforcement of speed limiting devices, and strengthened collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
The FRSC Yobe State Command urged the platform concerned to correct the alleged misrepresentation in the interest of public accountability, reiterating that road safety remains a collective responsibility and assuring the public of its commitment to providing accurate and timely information.
