inDrive kicks out driver for assaulting female passenger in Lagos, AUATON intervenes

Popular ride-hailing company in Nigeria, inDrive, says it has removed a driver, Samson, from its platform pending the conclusion of its investigation. The company’s representative in Nigeria, Dimeji Timothy disclosed this in an exclusive statement to Technext.

According to the country representative, the company is aware of the serious concerns raised following the incident involving the driver on its platform. He said the company takes matters of this nature with the utmost seriousness because it is fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all passengers.

“As a precaution, the driver has been removed from our platform while our internal review is ongoing. We are also actively working to contact the driver to obtain further details,” the country representative said even though it remains curious that they would kick out a driver without at least hearing him out.

He also said the team has been in direct contact with the passenger and is providing support while gathering the necessary information for a thorough investigation.

“We acknowledge the distressing nature of the reported loss of personal items and the photo evidence shared. While we have not yet received medical documents related to the alleged assault, we remain open and ready to review any additional information that may assist in our inquiry,” he said.

He further noted that passenger safety is at the core of inDrive’s values, and the company is committed to fostering a secure and respectful environment for all users. Thus, they are prepared to fully cooperate with the relevant authorities to ensure a fair and transparent resolution.

inDrive driver assaults female passenger

Recall that Technext reported that a lady in Lagos identified as Aderemi was allegedly assaulted by an e-hailing driver identified as Samson, following a dispute over air conditioning during a ride. The lady, while narrating the incident, said the assault happened after she ordered a ride from the Ikoyi area of Lagos to Ogudu at about 2 AM on Sunday.

According to her, when the ride began she noticed the driver did not put on his air conditioning. When she asked why, the driver said he did not have enough gas. She decided to end the ride then but after the driver pleaded that he already wasted fuel to get to the pickup point, and after she considered that it was really late and she needed to get home in time, she reluctantly agreed.

Read more: Lagos woman allegedly assaulted by e-hailing driver over dispute about air conditioning

But trouble started brewing when they got to her destination and requested his account details. She added that she would not pay in full as the service was not rendered in full. In response, the driver began to insult her, pointing at her and demanding that she pay the full sum. When she pushed his finger away, the driver started beating her.

“I pushed his hand and told him to stop pointing at me. The next thing this guy just slapped me. He gave me two slaps. I took off my wig and my shoe and slapped him back. He dragged me, strangled me and started punching me in my face. He did not even care, he was just punching me badly in my face like he was fighting with his fellow man,” she said.

In his defence, the driver, Samson, said he had informed the lady that he was out of gas and could not operate with the air conditioning. But despite accepting, she would eventually do a U-turn at the end of the trip, a situation which eventually led to a fight.

The matter was eventually taken to the Ogudu Police Station where members of the national e-hailing union, AUATON, came to intervene on behalf of their comrade. The members included the chairman of the Lagos state chapter of the union, Comrade Jaiyesimi Azeez as well as the chairman of the Kosofe LGA branch, Comrade Akande Wasiu.

According to Wasiu, the union was there to seek a peaceful resolution. The lady, however, demanded compensation to the tune of N200,000 for her medical bills and another N1.5 million for her gold that went missing during the altercation. However, after pleas from members of the union, she agreed to a settlement of N500,000.

“All evidence that the lady provided shows that Comrade Samson was guilty and we started pleading for settlement so it would not lead to court. When pleading she demanded N200,000 medical bill and N1.5 million for her gold that was missing and damages. But the Union was able to plead with her to collect N500,000 for everything. All glory belongs to God as we speak now his bail has been granted and he has been released,” Comrade Akande Wasiu said.