Ayobamiji Komolafe 
Bolt has suspended an unspecified number of accounts involved in fraudulent ride requests, where users from Nigeria and South Africa ordered rides only to cancel them.
This move follows a surge in such incidents, which have escalated tensions between the two nations’ users on social media especially on X.
The fraudulent activity reportedly began with South African users requesting rides in Nigeria through the Bolt and Uber platforms and then canceling them upon the drivers’ arrival.
In retaliation, Nigerians started doing the same in South Africa, demonstrating their strength in numbers.
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In response, Bolt has restricted ride requests between countries to prevent further exploitation of the platform.
Yahaya Mohammed, Bolt’s Country Manager for Nigeria, confirmed that an investigation was conducted to assess the issue and implement new security measures.
“We have successfully taken measures to resolve the issue of fake ride requests affecting our driver-partners, particularly those operating in Nigeria and South Africa,” Mohammed said.
“The integrity and safety of our platform, both for driver-partners and riders, is our utmost priority.
” Following a thorough investigation, we have addressed this issue swiftly by restricting inter-country ride requests.
“Additionally, those responsible for this malicious activity have been identified and blocked from the Bolt app.”
The company reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring a secure platform and safeguarding the interests of both drivers and passengers.
