Robbery allegation: inDrive restores account of driver after confirming not guilty
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Ride-hailing company, inDrive, has restored the account of its driver, Mr James Oluwatosin, who is at the centre of a robbery conspiracy allegation made by a passenger. This comes amid a viral post across various social media platforms and tensions over the veracity of the allegations.
According to inDrive’s Instagram post on Friday, the company affirmed that following an investigation, Mr Oluwatosin was found not guilty and his account will be made active. It added that after reviewing the passenger’s statement, it found no clear evidence that supports the accusations.
“Our team immediately reached out to both parties to clarify the situation. Following the initial review, we found no inconsistencies in the driver’s version of events and decided to keep the account active. Later, we were able to reach the passenger and carefully reviewed her statement. We found no clear evidence supporting the accusations against the driver,” it said.
Social media users have previously called on inDrive to conduct an in-depth investigation and redeem Mr Oluwatosin’s image.
However, inDrive acknowledged the driver’s dedication for 3 years, which has gained him a high rating of 3.86.
“Based on the outcome of our review, we did not find confirmation of any misconduct by the driver. Mr James Oluwatosin has been working with our platform for more than three years and maintains a high rating. We continue to encourage passengers to consider driver ratings when choosing rides,” part of the statement reads.
The driver had been at the centre of an X post warning people to beware of using his service. Since the post was made on Wednesday, it has generated massive shares and discussions across Facebook, X, WhatsApp and other platforms.
The incident has mirrored the speed of information on social media and how Lagos touts leverage people’s misfortune situations.
Also Read: ‘Your pricing system is inhumane’ – AUATON counters inDrive’s freedom claims.
The story from the beginning
An X post went viral on Wednesday asking people to keep off an inDrive driver, Mr James Oluwatosin. The poster claimed the driver is a robbery conspirator who pretends to have his car break down to allow a gang attack and extortion on passengers.
“If you order a ride and you see him, please cancel. He’ll pretend something is wrong with his car and park so his gang can rob you.”
The poster was a passenger of Mr Oluwatosin on Sunday, whose car broke down along the journey. The passenger claimed to have been extorted by street touts who leveraged on the situation.
“All of his door handles, except the driver’s side, are broken. You can’t get out. I literally had to climb out through the driver’s side while he was pretending to fix the light and was on a call,” the post added.
Many users questioned the veracity of the story. Some claimed that they were victims of Lagos touts who prey on commuters’ misfortune. It recounts cases where touts and street gangs have extorted people whose car broke down.
The inDrive driver’s side of the story
Hours later, an X handle, who said the inDrive driver is his uncle, claimed that the accusations are false.
“Apparently, the driver in question is my uncle. The whole scenario happened on Sunday night, and nobody was robbed!! They were simply surrounded by touts, and they didn’t rob you of anything you this ev** clout chaser,” the post reads.
In addition, he shared an audio where Mr Oluwatosin recounted the incident (in the Yoruba language).
“My car had an issue on Sunday night, and I called a rewire for fixing. There, some area boys came in request for money. I asked them to allow me to complete my car fixing. When I was done, I asked how much I was to pay, and they said N20,000. I was against it.”
“I don’t know them, and I have never met them. The passenger came down and insisted on having a conversation with them. Then negotiating with the area boys for pay, saying they shouldn’t rob us,” he said.
The aftermath: an investigation
Users across various social media platforms claimed the inDrive driver has been dragged through the mud and has his image tarnished. Many pointed at his high rating and doubted Mr Oluwatosin was a conspirator.
The Lagos State Police, on Thursday morning, through the Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, also provided its service to solve the case. She requested the parties involved to present their statement for mediation.
“The Lagos State Police Command is aware of the widely circulated post and is inviting the concerned parties to come forward. The parties may reach out to me via call or WhatsApp on 09055390070 for a direct link-up,” it said.
inDrive, though yet to be verified, was accused of reacting to the case by suspending Mr. Oluwatosin’s account on the platform. The red-hailing company was flagged for not conducting a proper investigation before making such a decision.
Meanwhile, the company replied to the passengers’ post on Thursday afternoon and claimed its review of the driver’s account shows he’s innocent.
“We’ve reviewed the case and found no inconsistencies in the driver’s version. The review continues as we’re still trying to reach the passenger. We remain committed to ensuring fairness and safety for everyone,” it said.
The case mirrors the rapid spread of information across social media. Subsequently, the story became popular on X, WhatsApp status, TikTok and Facebook.
