E-hailing drivers in Nigeria are advocating for the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) by e-hailing companies like Uber and Bolt to verify passengers.
This comes after it was claimed that three e-hailing drivers who were registered under the Uber and Bolt platform were shot dead by gunmen in Port Harcourt and Abuja, according to a letter to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police. These drivers were working in both cities.
Comrade Adedamola Adeniran, President of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria, is the one who issued the appeal. The president is of the opinion that taking such a step will protect his party from any future assaults.
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Victims of the attack
The President of AUATON issued a statement on Friday in which he claimed that four of the union’s members, Mr. Emmanuel Daniel, Mr. Roland Asuru, Mr. Kelvin Oga, and John Okon, had been recently killed by gunfire and that their vehicles had been stolen by unknown assailants.
“As a registered trade union with the responsibility to protect our members against preventable circumstances like this, we are making a call on the government to, as a matter of urgency, direct the Ministry of Transport, Science, and Digital Economy or any relevant ministry to direct these app companies to capture National Identity Number of the passenger before ordering a ride,” he said.
According to a letter that was written to the Commissioner of Police and signed by Comrade Ibrahim Ayoade, the Secretary of the union, two of the deceased drivers, Emmanuel Daniel and Roland Asuru, as well as a mechanic named John Okon, were killed by gunfire in Port Harcourt, which is the capital of the state of Rivers. According to a report by Vanguard, a third driver by the name of Kelvin Oga was killed by gunfire in Abuja.
The four victims, three drivers for an e-hailing service and one technician were found shot to death in various parts of the state and at various times. On the other hand, the occurrence took place on the same day, which was October 10. The following is an excerpt from the statement:
“On the 10th of October 2023, in a space of one to three hours, a presumed gang(s) of armed robbers between the hours of 7.30 pm and 10 pm killed three drivers of a Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Golf-3 in an attempt to snatch their cars.”
“The three victims Emmanuel Daniel, Roland Asuru and a mechanic John Okon were each brutally murdered in D-Line (that has become lately notorious for car theft and armed robbery incidences), Wopara Street in Old GRA, and Abakiliki by Nanka Street in Diobu respectively. The first victim, Mr. Emmanuel Daniel, is one of us and a registered E-hailing driver and has left a widow and his three helpless young children confused and in shock.”
Kelvin Oga, the fourth driver, was reportedly killed by gunfire in the Galadimawa neighborhood of Abuja, according to the President of the Union, Comrade Adedamola Adeniran.
The letter from the union also noted that the capital of the state of Rivers is gradually becoming a hotspot of violent car theft. According to the letter, a number of Uber and Bolt drivers have been similarly attacked, but they have all managed to escape with their lives:
“On the same night, there was a failed car-snatching attempt at Ogbogoro. On the 11th of October, a Toyota Corolla car of another E-hailing driver was snatched in broad daylight at GRA. Another one at the CFC Roundabout and a failed attempt at Eleme by Igbo-Etche junction. Sir, this has become very disturbing for us in the E-hailing Drivers Community as we have consistently faced serious dangers in the discharge of our duties with drivers killed at the slightest opportunity,” the statement continues.”
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The request of the e-hailing drivers to curb reoccurrence
The AUATON president, Adedamola Adediran said: “It is pathetic and unacceptable that within two days, app-based transporters of Nigeria will lose four of their members and seven cars in the course of carrying out essential service to members of the public. This is due to the inadequate security measures and intelligence to avert the plans of these deadly gunmen.”
Comrade Adediran reported that the union had made a request to Uber and Bolt to prevent security breaches by fully profiling riders in order to protect their data. He also stated that the union had approached the companies and requested that the National Identification Number (NIN) be required as part of the verification procedure for all passengers before they were allowed to use the app. He said this was done at the request of the union.
However, he stated that all pleadings had been ignored by the firms because they were steadfast in their position. According to him, this has made it so that his members are no longer eligible for justice or compensation, and they face an increased chance of dying from preventable causes.
In a letter that it sent to the Rivers State Police Command, the AUATON pleaded with the commissioner to put a stop to the trend as soon as possible because it had already lost an unacceptable number of drivers in this manner not just in the previous year but also in the year before that.
“We believe very strongly that the police can do better to get these armed robbers off the streets and particularly arrest the killers of these young men mentioned and give hope to the grieving widows,” the letter concluded.
