The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in a report released on Tuesday, said that 1,347 Nigerians died in the first quarter of 2026 from 2,720 road crashes.
It said the figure represented a decrease of 0.40% compared to the 2,731 crashes recorded in Q4 2025, and an increase of 2.64% relative to the 2,650 crashes recorded in the corresponding period of 2025 (Q1 2025).
‘Disaggregation by severity shows that serious crashes accounted for the highest proportion with 1,761 cases, followed by fatal crashes with 714 cases, while minor crashes recorded the least with 245 cases.’
Analysis based on fatalities by gender indicates that males accounted for the majority of deaths with a total of 1,076 males killed, representing 79.88% of total fatalities, while 271 females were killed, accounting for 20.12%.
‘During the period under review, 6,547 males were injured, accounting for 76.35% of the total injured persons, while 2,028 females were injured, representing 23.65%. The number of vehicles involved in road traffic crashes stood at 4,078 in Q1 2026, indicating an increase of 0.47% compared to the 4,059 vehicles recorded in Q4 2025,’ the report said.
In terms of zonal distribution, it stated that the North-Central recorded the highest number of crashes, with 752 cases, followed by the South-West with 699 cases, while the South-South recorded the fewest, with 137 cases.
‘With respect to casualties, the North-West zone recorded the highest number with 2,675 casualties, followed by the North-Central with 2,544 casualties, while the South-South recorded the least with 402 cases,’ it added.