Two die as Bolt drivers suffer deadly attacks for Port Harcourt

Attacks on e-hailing riders don become source of concern for many pipo especially those wey dey operate for Rivers state, South South Nigeria.

Widow of Emmanuel Daniel, di e-hailing taxi driver wey passengers allegedly kill along Olu Obasanjo road for D/Line Port Harcourt dey cry for justice for di death of her husband.

Di widow, Eberechi Daniel wey be mama of dia three pikins say her husband just put tracker for di motor wey e dey use do di taxi but dem make mistake for di tracker so e go to correct am. On di way back e pick passengers.

Around 7pm na im pesin call her to come to Military hospital, later dem tell her to go Rivers State University Teaching Hospital.

"Wen I reach di hospital I ask wia my husband? Dem say dem go show me but after evritin, dem tell me say my husband don die, say armed robbers shoot am and collect di car but becos of di tracker, di car stop for road. Na di passengers wey im carry na im shoot am around D-line area.

I want goment to help me find di pipo wey shoot my husband. Make dem avenge im death for me and my three children," She tok.

Dem later discover di car abandoned for Craft Centre area of D-line, Port Harcourt.

She add say di family wan carry di corpse of her late husband go dia village for Anambra State.

Goodluck Iheanachor wey be chairman of e-hailing drivers association say di death of Emmanuel Daniel don make five drivers wey don die like dat within di past week.

E call for more protection for drivers against violence and attacks from passengers wey dem don dey suffer in recent times in Port Harcourt.

"We don dey get serious security challenges particularly our drivers for night. Dis pipo dey kidnap many of our drivers and even snatch dia vehicles.

For di past one week now we don record five killings of our drivers and we no dey comfortable again becos for Rivers State alone, we get like 6000 drivers wey dey operate and evri night, we must get one incident or di oda. Many police stations know about am."

Iheanachor call on di Commissioner of Police for Rivers State, Polycarp Nwonyi to come to dia rescue as dem don too record many incidents of molestation among dia members.

Jacob Shola David, Chairman of di e-hailing drivers platform wia Late Emmanuel Daniel bin dey explain say na around 10pm e get call say passengers wey Daniel carry in attempt to snatch im vehicle result to shooting but by di time dem rush am go reach hospital, e die on di way.

E say di security situation no dey safe for dem as drivers - many of dem don fall victim to robbery, car snatching and killings from passengers wey dem dey carry.

Jacob say just last month dem record three incidents of attacks on drivers and dem just go bury one of dem, Dagogo wey passenger unfortunately kill in similar circumstances.

E say dis security concerns dey make drivers not to come out for night as dem don record one too many incidents of killing of drivers and snatching of cars especially around D-line, Port Harcourt Town and Ogbogoro axis of di city.

E add say na three incidents wey happen on dat Tuesday 10 October - two killing of e-hailing drivers for D-line and Diobu area and one case of car snatching also for D-line axis.

"We dey under torture and we dey miss many pipo. You go see a driver carry car comot but e no go return back. Dat day alone we record two killings and one car snatching. No organisation fit move forward like dis so we need Goment to do sometin about am.”

E also call on di e-hailing service providers Bolt to also ensure di safety of di drivers as e observe say di security features for di app dey mostly protect di passengers from attack but e also suppose protect di drivers dem too.

"Di security system wey dey dis app no be really a good one for us and Bolt no dey help for dis matter at all. We don write to dem many times say we too need to have di details of di passengers wey we dey carry, make we get dia pictures di same way wey dem get our pictures but bolt no dey do dis one yet and e dey give us serious concerns.

If dem get di details of dis passengers wey im carry, e for dey very easy to track dem."

E observe say for di month of September 2023, dem record three similar incidents of di killing of e-hailing drivers.

Police for Rivers state police command confam di killing of two e-hailing drivers for Port Harcourt.

Police tok tok pesin SP Grace Iringe-Koko as she confam di killings say dem don begin investigate di matter.

Wetin Bolt dey do about safety of drivers?

Dis no be di first time drivers of e-hailing taxi service Bolt don face attacks from passengers dem pick wey result to robbery, car theft and even killing.

For April 2022 wen similar attacks happen to some Bolt drivers, BBC Pidgin ask Bolt wetin dem dey do to protect drivers in dia service and dem respond and confam say dem don receive many complaints of incidents of attacks on drivers for Port Harcourt and dem condemn any act of criminality and violence directed towards e-hailing drivers.

Regional Manager West Africa at Bolt Uche Okafor for email to BBC bin explain say wen incident of high priority nature dey reported through di Safety team, dem dey quick-quick escalate am for investigation. Wen police don begin investigation, e say dem dey provide all di necessary information.

Okafor add say ontop safety measures, "drivers and passengers get SOS button for dia app wey dey linked to available emergency responses in dia city. In addition, we dey evaluate and monitor di incorporation of a selfie-authentication process for riders for possible roll-out in di next quarter."

As e concern policy for Bolt drivers wey suffer injury from attack, or dem rob or kill dem, Okafor tok, " drivers and riders get access to Bolt Trip Insurance at no cost to drivers and riders in di event say incident happen. Bolt cover permanent disability, temporary disability, medical expenses, loss of personal effect and in di event of death."