E-hailing riders under the auspices of Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) have called on the government to end the brutal killing of its members, lamenting that they have become soft target for criminals lately.
Chairman, AUATON, Lagos State Council, Azeez Jayesimi, who said this during the state’s branch inauguration of the union, lamented that the union lost about eight members in Lagos alone to men of the underworld.
He called on the Lagos State government and security agencies to help tame the menace, promising to disclose all information at their disposal.
According to him, all these happened due to lack of profiling of their riders by the app companies, making them target of criminals.
According to him, “They will request from us, they have our information because we are profiled but the riders of those apps are not profiled. So we are a soft target for them, they request from us but we don’t know who is requesting.
“At times, they maim some of our members, they kill some and they discharge us from our vehicles among others.
“Since this year, we lost close to eight members in Lagos State alone; four Lagride captains have lost their lives while on duty. There is another one that was attacked recently. As of today, there is a particular driver of ours whose wife has been calling that his number is not going since yesterday, so we just said let us see if we don’t get in touch with him today, we will go to the police station and report.
“Recently, we have gone all out to let the government know that we are here, we’ve met with the commissioner of police in Lagos State which they have promised to work with us and also we even told them we are going to work with them because we are the frontline, we are the ones that need this people, we can even work with them by giving them information of any criminality that has been on its peak. A lot of people are hearing their conversation and all that and we will enjoin the government to look into our side to support us and to work with us.”
“We are not keeping quiet that is why we are telling the app company to have a collective bargaining agreement with us. It is our business. We are the ones who meet these riders. All we want them to do is profile their riders, once those riders are profiled, it will go a long way to reduce the level of criminality because once you request, your profile will be seen.”
