It’s a common and intimidating sight on the roads of Nigeria today: convoy of tinted SUVs with flashing sirens, escorted by heavily armed security details, racing on highways and city streets. Other drivers are pushed into gutters or onto the opposite side of the road as these motorcades, preceded by inebriated outriders, take over public roads as private airstrips. The threat is always the same: “Clear the road or get crushed.”
Where it was once confined to presidents and governors, entitlement has now spread to local government chairmen, foreigners, and even members of officials’ families. Multiple escort cars, armed men in pickup trucks, and reckless driving have made public roads killing fields. Of course, when accidents inevitably do occur as often they do ordinary people pay the price, while suspects are on the loose.
The sirens, originally devised to call for urgency, now act as a harbinger of lawlessness. They now announce the possibility of lives being offered at the altar of ego and decadence.
The most recent was on July 20, 2025, when the convoy of Katsina Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, ran into a private Volkswagen Golf car along Katsina Road in Daura. The governor was not injured but nine others in the private car sustained serious injuries. The Katsina government has assured to foot the medical expenses an act rarely offered in such incidents.
Historically, convoy accidents have resulted in fatalities throughout the country. Some of the highly publicized ones between 2020 and 2025 are listed below:
29th June 2020 – The convoy of the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, ran over a motorcyclist, Alhaji Salisu Ibrahim, in Katsina.
Sept. 1, 2020 – Two policemen were killed when a trailer ran into the convoy of Adams Oshiomhole, a former APC National Chairman, on the Benin-Lagos expressway.
March 1, 2021 – Ten police men were hurt when a car in the convoy of Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed skidded off while he was on his way to assess a project site.
March 4, 2021 – Journalists on Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s convoy in Gombe perished in a fatal crash with their driver.
June 2, 2021 – Three soldiers who were accompanying Muhammed Babangida, son of ex-Head of State Ibrahim Babangida, lost their lives in a head-on collision.
June 4, 2022 – A car belonging to Governor Samuel Ortom’s convoy skidded off Abuja-Keffi Road.
Aug. 22, 2022 – Six NNPP supporters were killed after they were run over in a convoy by Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in Nasarawa.
Nov. 16, 2022 – Two individuals lost their lives in Bauchi after Commissioner Abdulrazak Nuhu Zaki’s convoy crushed a motorcyclist.
Dec. 1, 2022 – Four individuals lost their lives in Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s Adamawa convoy crash.
March 16, 2023 – Governor Dave Umahi’s Ebonyi convoy ran over three pedestrians, killing them.
March 18, 2023 – Three individuals, two of whom were policemen, lost their lives in a convoy crash involving Katsina Governor Aminu Bello Masari.
Sept. 26, 2023 – Four security aides were injured when Osun Speaker Adewale Egbedun had a convoy accident.
These repeated tragedies signal a negative trend: Nigeria’s VIP motorcades have become symbols of impunity instead of service. For thousands of families, the cost is grief, unanswered questions, and broken promises of justice.
