In a bid to maintain the integrity of its platform, Bolt, the ride-hailing service, has taken decisive action against a wave of fraudulent activities.
The company has blocked numerous accounts associated with fake ride requests, a trend that has gained momentum amidst rising tensions between Nigerians and South Africans.
These escalating tensions have sparked a surge in prank orders on both Bolt and Uber platforms, as citizens from both countries engage in retaliatory actions against each other.
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To help defuse the situation, Bolt has imposed restrictions on inter-country ride requests.
This move follows reports of an online feud between Nigerians and South Africans, which has spilled over into the ride-hailing apps, with users deliberately placing and canceling ride orders to frustrate drivers on the opposing side.
Yahaya Mohammed, Bolt’s country manager for Nigeria, emphasized the company’s commitment to protecting its users: “We recognize the challenges this situation has posed for our driver-partners in both Nigeria and South Africa. Our priority remains ensuring a safe, reliable, and secure experience for all members of our community.”
Social media platform X has been flooded with screenshots revealing a disturbing trend of users in Nigeria and South Africa requesting rides in each other’s countries, only to cancel them once the drivers accept. This behavior has been widely shared online, exposing the extent of these intentional disruptions.
The situation appears to have been triggered by a viral post on X, where a user highlighted how South Africans were ordering rides in Nigeria from South Africa and canceling them upon the drivers’ arrival.
The post suggested that these actions were motivated by the disparity in currency values, with South Africans exploiting the weaker Nigerian naira to avoid cancellation fees.
In retaliation, Nigerian users began mirroring this behavior, placing orders in South Africa with no intention of following through, further fueling the online conflict between the two nations.
One user, Ayo, commented on the ongoing feud: “Just saw three guys on my street ordering Bolt from South Africa. They’re not even posting about it—they’re just doing it for the fun of it.”
Another user, Oyiga Micheal, pointed out the origin of the trend: “South Africans started this challenge, ordering Bolt rides from Lagos to annoy Nigerians. Now, Nigerians are countering by ordering rides and ‘pay on delivery’ items to get back at them.”
While some users found humour in the situation, others expressed concern about the impact on innocent drivers caught in the crossfire.
A Nigerian user remarked, “South Africans may have started this, but the real victims here are the drivers who are just trying to make a living.”
One particularly poignant clip shared by a user named Basito showed a South African driver nearly brought to tears after being pranked by a Nigerian. The video underscored the human cost of these online feuds, as drivers on both sides are left to bear the brunt of the prank orders.
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