One inDrive driver, James Oluwatosin, has debunked claims by a lady named Nevermind on social media over an allegation of collaborating with armed robbers at the Onipanu bus-stop, Lagos State on Sunday night.
Nevermind sent tongues wagging on social media on Thursday morning by posting Oluwatosin’s inDrive data on X, warning people to avoid the driver like a plague should his picture appear while ordering a ride.
She accused the driver of staging a robbery after he claimed that his car had suddenly broken down at 8 pm on Sunday.
“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,” she wrote.
But James has taken to X to deny the claim, stressing that he was framed in a desperate attempt to ruin his life.
He wrote, “The incident happened on Sunday night after some people ordered a ride from Surulere to Mafoluku. We reached an agreement, after which I picked them up.
“On our way to their destination, the car engine suddenly went off along the pedestrian bridge at the Onipanu Expressway. I alerted my two female customers, and they advised me to find a place to park. I quickly manoeuvred to the service lane and pulled over. The lady demanded that they get down, which I obliged.
“Suddenly, a man emerged from nowhere and said he wanted to preach. I quickly kicked against it, but once the girls gave him the go-ahead, while he was busy talking to them, I called my rewire because the car had been with him for three weeks. That was the first time I used the car for a trip, and they happened to be my third trip before heading home.
“The automobile engineer told me to check the wires on the battery, and I did as instructed by the mechanic, and the car engine came back to life. Suddenly, some men appeared from the darkness, asking me to pay them 20k.
“They stopped me from moving, and when we engaged in a heated argument, one of the girls questioned why they were asking for money. The guys now went to her and asked for 15k. They offered to pay 4,000, but they refused. The lady now increased it to 5,000. She started negotiating with them, and the lady agreed to add my fare to it and make it 8k, but her friend appealed to her not to pay, which she eventually did.
“We eventually left the spot, and I dropped one of them at Oshodi Oke while the other one directed me to her house at Mafoluku. I was surprised when she asked for my account details and paid me 4,000.
“These girls were not maltreated, and nothing was stolen from them. I am here to tell Nigerians that all the allegations levelled against me are lies,” he said.
But Nevermind responded on X that she had to negotiate for fear of being attacked by the hoodlums.
“Can we both settle this in the station since I’m lying? Three guys came, asked me to choose between making a transfer or getting robbed in Yoruba. You sat in your car, even when they finished, I literally was begging you to start your ride.
“Your car didn’t break down; you said the headlight had issues in the midst of our conversation, and almost immediately, you parked. I said, ‘Can we go to a bright area?’ You parked! I tried coming out, but there is no inside door in three places.
“I quickly came down from your driver’s seat, tried opening my friend’s door from outside, but nothing. So if you’re not an accomplice, I think we know the right place to narrate both our stories,” she wrote on X.
Responding to the viral post, Spokesperson, Lagos State Police Command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed that the command is aware of the incident, calling on both parties to come forward and narrate their side of the story rather than engage in war of words on the social media.
‘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,” she wrote on X.
