Crisis hits LagRide, drivers threaten protest as operators move to withdraw vehicles – Newstrends
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Crisis hits LagRide, drivers threaten protest as operators move to withdraw vehicles

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9 months ago

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Crisis hits LagRide, drivers threaten protest as operators move to withdraw vehicles

Drivers of LagRide, a government-backed ride-hailing platform, have resolved to stage a protest following a threat by the operators to involve the Lagos State Task Force in arresting them over alleged misconduct.

LagRide, which was previously a partnership between the Lagos State government and Zenolynk Technology Ltd - the original developer of the platform’s app - is now controlled by CIG Motors Co. Ltd, a Chinese state-owned automaker of GAC Motors.

CIG Motors recently took over the management of the ride-hailing company after the partnership between the Lagos Government and Zenolynk Technology Ltd ended earlier in March.

Following Zenolynk Technology’s exit, CIG Motors launched a new app for drivers as the old developer reportedly shut it down.

However, barely a month after the Chinese company assumed operational management of LAGRIDE, the company faced a looming crisis.


The crisis genesis

In a notice shared with Vanguard, LagRide management accused the drivers of discouraging riders from hailing via the LagRide app and promoting alternative ride-hailing services such as InDrive and Bolt at the expense of their platform.

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In the notice sent to the drivers on Tuesday, March 11, the management alleged that drivers are refusing trips without valid justification and that they collect cash payments instead of using the platform.
The management maintained that the driver’s conduct violated the company policies and constituted sabotage.

To ensure compliance, the LagRide management vowed to engage officials of the Lagos State Task Force and the regulators to monitor and arrest erring drivers.

“Non-compliant captains (drivers) will face strict disciplinary measures including possible arrest, impoundment of vehicles and legal actions,” the notice read.

However, LAGRIDE drivers alleged that the management’s allegations against them are due to the company’s failure to address the systemic challenges they face.

In a counter-statement signed by Comrade Iwindoye Steven, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), on behalf of the LagRide Captains Community, the drivers maintained that the company’s failure to address the issues culminated in operational difficulties, frustration, and income loss for some of them.

AUATON also warned LagRide management against the threat of arresting its members, saying such a move would escalate the brewing crisis.

“We took exception to the threats of disciplinary measures, legal action, and involvement of the Lagos State Taskforce. Such measures only serve to escalate tensions between management and captains, rather than addressing the root causes of the issues,” the council warned.

Highlighting the problems with CIG Motors’ new app, a driver who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity said it is not user-friendly and drains phone batteries.

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“Aside the fact that it’s not user-friendly, the app actually kills our phone. It drains battery seriously and consumes data. And aside that, we find it difficult getting pickup and destination on the app. We have to start zooming, checking pin drops,” the driver said.

Drivers accuse LagRide of extortion

In response to the management’s allegations against them, the driver said they resorted to taking cash and negotiating trips offline with riders because the company turned off the cash option, a ploy to force them to remit their income to the app and get paid once a week.

According to him, the drivers rejected this arrangement because, despite the myriad of levies CIG charges, the company is not responsible for the maintenance or repair of their vehicles.

According to him, some of the levies include insurance, communication, dashcam and phone levies.

“The thing that broke the camel’s back is that they wanted us to be remitting our income to them. So they turn off the cash option on the app and turn on the only wallet option. When that wallet option is turned on immediately after a trip ends, it shows the rider an account, which is the company’s account.

“So, this left us with just three options one side. I will call the rider to negotiate the trip offline which is not really cool for us and the company as well, or we run the trip and we tell the rider to pay into our own account,” the driver said.

He said many of them have not been working for three weeks, adding that they resolved to operate offline until the issues they raised about the app are fixed.

Drivers to take protest to Alausa

Since the Lagos State Government, through its IBILE Holdings, is CIG Motors’ investment partner, LagRide drivers have decided to take protests to the state government secretariat at Alausa to express their grievances about the platform’s management and CIG Motors’ move to take charge of their earnings.

In its statement, AUATON had warned that the government’s failure to address the drivers’ concerns “may lead to protest and strike action, including shutting down LagRide in protest.”

 

Crisis hits LagRide, drivers threaten protest as operators move to withdraw vehicles

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Court Sends Chris Ngige to Kuje Prison on EFCC’s N2.2bn Fraud Charges

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December 12, 2025

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former Anambra State Governor, Dr. Chris Ngige

Court Sends Chris Ngige to Kuje Prison on EFCC’s N2.2bn Fraud Charges

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Gwarinpa has ordered the remand of former Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, in Kuje prison pending the hearing of his bail application.

Justice Maryam Hassan issued the order on Friday after Ngige pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

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The former minister, who served from November 11, 2015, to May 29, 2023, is being prosecuted for his alleged role in a N2.2 billion contract fraud. The charges include abuse of office and accusations that he received kickbacks from companies that secured contracts from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

The court ruled that Ngige should remain in custody until Monday, when his bail application will be heard.

Court Sends Chris Ngige to Kuje Prison on EFCC’s N2.2bn Fraud Charges

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Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda Despite Tinubu’s Pardon

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December 12, 2025

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Maryam Sanda

Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda Despite Tinubu’s Pardon

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reaffirmed the death sentence imposed on Maryam Sanda, daughter-in-law of a former PDP chairman, for the culpable homicide of her husband, Bilyamin Bello, in 2017.

Sanda was convicted by an Abuja High Court on January 27, 2020, and sentenced to death by hanging after being found guilty of stabbing her husband to death at their Abuja residence. She had spent six years and eight months in Suleja prison before President Bola Tinubu reduced her punishment to 12 years under the recent presidential pardon initiative.

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According to the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the clemency was granted on “compassionate grounds” and in the “best interest of the children,” noting Sanda’s good conduct, reformed behaviour, and remorse during incarceration.

However, in a split decision of four to one, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court on Friday overturned the executive intervention and reaffirmed the original death sentence. Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Moore Adumein ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The apex court upheld the earlier decisions of both the trial court and the Court of Appeal, describing them as sound and unassailable. It further held that President Tinubu lacked the constitutional authority to issue a pardon in a homicide case that was still under judicial review.

Sanda’s appeal was dismissed for lacking merit, bringing a definitive close to one of Nigeria’s most widely followed murder conviction cases.

Supreme Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Maryam Sanda Despite Tinubu’s Pardon

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Mother, 10-Month-Old Baby Murdered in Katsina Over Alleged Paternity Dispute

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5 hours ago

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December 12, 2025

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Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu
Katsina State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu

Mother, 10-Month-Old Baby Murdered in Katsina Over Alleged Paternity Dispute

A woman and her 10-month-old baby have been found murdered in Sheme village, Faskari Local Government Area, Katsina State, in what authorities believe was linked to a paternity dispute.

The Katsina State Police Command confirmed that detectives are investigating the incident. In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, said 35-year-old Sahabi Rabi’u has been arrested in connection with the killings, while a second suspect remains at large.

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Aliyu explained: “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and admitted conspiring with a friend, now at large, to lure the victims to the outskirts of Sheme village, where they were killed. The bodies were burnt and thrown into a nearby well.”

Investigations revealed that the murder stemmed from a paternity disagreement, which escalated into a brutal killing. The bodies have been recovered, and the suspect is currently in police custody. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing accomplice.

Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Bello Shehu, condemned the killings as “barbaric and inhumane,” assuring that justice will be served. He appealed to members of the public to provide information that could assist in capturing the second suspect, with guarantees of confidentiality.

Mother, 10-Month-Old Baby Murdered in Katsina Over Alleged Paternity Dispute

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