The Oyo State Police Command has recorded 351 deaths from 751 auto accidents across the state between January and September.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Adebowale Williams, who said this at an interactive session with journalists in Ibadan on Wednesday said nine suicide cases were also recorded within the past four months.
The CP blamed the high rate of accidents in the state on speeding and reckless driving mainly.
He appealed to motorists to obey traffic rules and regulations, saying law enforcement agencies in the state would not tolerate and violations of the rules guiding driving anywhere in the state.
Adebowale, who expressed concern over the recorded suicide cases called on religious leaders, traditional rulers and family heads to step up their activities and engage their people more frequently especially the younger ones to stop the incidents.
He said, “Between January and this month, 751 accidents occurred these claimed 351 deaths. There also nine cases of suicide.”
Speaking further, the commissioner of police said the police would begin stop-and-search of motorcycles conveying more than two persons to check the activities of hoodlums using motorcycles to perpetrate criminal activities.
Adebowale called on residents of the state to cooperate with the police in order to flush out criminals out of the state while calling for information that could assist them to keep the state safer.
Oyo State Government had recently announced that it would not ban okada riders from operating in the state but would make sure that all of them were registered and given numbers for easy tracking and identification.
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