By Bilesanmi Abayomi
A community mourns the tragic death of Ayo, a former motor mechanic turned cab driver, who was kidnapped and killed by passengers in Lagos. His death has sparked fresh conversations about the urgent need for taxi drivers to invest in their personal safety.
KosofePost recently reported that Ayo had accepted a ride request from unknown customers at a GTBank branch in Anthony Village for a trip to Igando, Lagos State. Other drivers refused the job, but Ayo took the risk. About a week later, his lifeless body was found tied and abandoned in Agbara, a Lagos suburb, while his assailants fled with his car. One suspect has been apprehended, while others remain at large.
In a live stream on TikTok, Anthony Village resident Ayinde Adesola shared details of Ayo’s sad fate. The stream was hosted by Bilesanmi Abayomi, better known as KOKO, the publisher of KosofePost. Abayomi, who had completed over 2,000 rides as a pioneer driver on Taxify (now BOLT), explained that safety concerns were a major factor in his decision to leave the e-hailing business in 2018.
He emphasized the importance of taxi drivers and e-hailing platforms adopting safety measures, such as installing dashcams to record rides. These recordings could serve as crucial evidence for law enforcement, insurance companies, or other organizations if a trip goes wrong.