The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) says 69 people were killed and 246 others injured in road accidents across Lagos State in the first quarter of 2026.

‎The agency’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, disclosed the figures in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, outlining the scale of traffic-related incidents between January and March.

‎LASTMA said it responded to more than 600 crash scenes during the period, reflecting persistent road safety challenges in Nigeria’s busiest commercial city.

‎Bakare-Oki attributed many of the accidents to traffic violations, particularly involving trucks and articulated vehicles. The agency reported resolving over 900 such infractions, alongside nearly 4,900 physical enforcement operations carried out across the state.

‎To strengthen compliance, the authority said it increasingly relied on technology-driven enforcement. About 17,942 traffic offences were recorded using digital systems, including Traffic Management Solution devices designed to detect violations such as red-light breaches, illegal parking, and lane indiscipline.

‎According to the agency, the integration of these technologies has improved monitoring and reduced dependence on manual enforcement, enabling faster identification of offenders and more consistent penalties.

‎Bakare-Oki also said LASTMA had overhauled and repositioned traffic equipment and recovery vehicles to improve emergency response times to accidents and congestion.

‎He added that the agency plans to train more than 1,000 personnel in 2026 through structured internal and external programmes aimed at improving service delivery.

‎LASTMA maintains that offenders are prosecuted through the Lagos State Mobile Court as part of its zero-tolerance approach to traffic violations.

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