The Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters in Nigeria has expressed deep concern over the frequent and brutal killing of its members in various parts of the country.
This concern arises in the wake of the alleged murder of three union members in Port Harcourt and another member in Galadimawa, Abuja on Wednesday.
In a statement released on Thursday, the union detailed the incident in the Port Harcourt area, where three of its members, all working as drivers for the Bolt app, were subjected to what seemed to be coordinated attacks between 7:30 pm and 10 pm on the same day.
According to the union, driver Emmanual Daniel was killed while en route to a pickup location, having received a call from a passenger. Tragically, Daniel lost his life, and the assailants fled with his vehicle.
“Also Roland Asuru and John Okon were both shot dead while their cars were snatched by suspected robbers. There were reportedly failed attempts to snatch members’ cars at GRA, CFC Roundabout, and Ekeme, according to the statement
“Another brutal killing and car snatching of a member in Abuja was reported at the Galadimawa area of Abuja on Wednesday,” the statement read.
The union, while reacting to the recent killings of its members said that it is pathetic and unacceptable that within two days, app-based transporters of Nigeria lost four of its members and seven cars in the course of carrying out essential service to members of the public due to inadequate security measures and intelligence to avert the plans of these deadly attacks.
The statement continued, “The union has been making a call on the app companies as part of a measure to prevent security breaches to profile riders adequately by making means of national ID a prerequisite for all passengers before they can board or take a rider on the app but they have been very adamant and watches our members die a preventable death even without justice and compensation.
“As a registered trade union with the responsibility to protect our members against preventable circumstances like this, we are making a call on the Federal Government as a matter of urgency to direct the Ministry of Transport, Science, and Digital Economy or any relevant Ministry to direct these app-based companies to capture the NIN of the passengers before ordering a ride.
“We are also calling the Governor of River State, FCT Minister, and the police to facilitate investigation and bring these deadly killers to book while we the family of the deceased are compensated adequately by the government and app-company.
“We sympathise with these families and also call on our members to be security conscious at all times as we approve the festive season of the year.”
When contacted, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, did not respond to phone calls as at the time of filing this report.