A 29-year old e-hailing driver, identified as Adeniran Jeremiah, found himself remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Service following a Monday hearing at the Ikeja Magistrate court situated in Ogba. The court’s decision was based on allegations of robbing female passengers, pending further legal guidance from the Director of Public Prosecution.

The defendant, who reportedly had a history of declining ride requests from male passengers, was taken into custody while attempting to make a purchase at Ikotun market. He was recognized by one of his previous female victims. Jeremiah now faces a series of charges including conspiracy, armed robbery, stealing, and assault, all filed against him by law enforcement.

In a statement presented during the arraignment, Inspector Kokoye Olusegun, the police prosecutor, detailed that the defendant and his yet-to-be-apprehended accomplices plotted to commit the purported crimes. The incidents in question transpired between July 8 and 28, 2023, along Governor’s Road in the Ikotun district of Lagos State, transpiring between the hours of 10 pm and 12:23 am.

Olusegun recounted that Jeremiah, employed as a cab driver under the Rida App platform and driving a Toyota Camry Salon car, allegedly brandished a knife while robbing three female passengers, named as Halima Orulebiya, Linda Anyim, and Mercy Ekeh, during the aforementioned time frame.

Among the possessions retrieved from the defendant’s possession were an iPhone 14, an iPhone 13 Pro Max, and a Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, collectively appraised at N1,345,000. Additionally, a sum of N188,500 was reportedly acquired through a combination of online transfers and cash transactions.

The prosecutor further revealed that one of the victims had suffered an injury on her arm as a result of the defendant’s alleged use of a knife. The charges brought against Jeremiah were found to contravene specific sections of the 2015 criminal law of Lagos State, including Sections 299, 296, and 297(1)(2)(a)(b).

Although the defendant entered a plea of not guilty, the Magistrate overseeing the case, Mrs. Sakirat Obasa, did not accept the plea. The proceedings were adjourned, with the next hearing scheduled for September 26, 2023, pending the advice from the DPP.