Twelve people were killed, 91 others injured when a truck container carrying at least 103 people somersaulted in central Nigeria, according to the local road safety police on Monday.

Sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps Joel Dagwa said that the Lagos-bound vehicle was speeding when it suddenly overturned.

The injured have been treated in hospital, Dagwa added. 

Dagwa said more efforts would be put into monitoring road users to guard against overloading and dangerous driving, especially in the "ember months," as the last four months of the year are usually referred to in Nigeria.

"We have since embarked on aggressive patrols across all major highways to ensure that road users adhere strictly to traffic rules and regulations to avoid road accidents before, during and after the Christmas and New Year festivities," he said.