Safety Concerns: Union, Forum Seek Profiling Of App-based Riders

The Amalgamated Union of App-based Transport Workers (AUATWON) and the African Forum for Restorative Justice (AFRJ) have called for mandatory rider profiling amid heightened safety concerns in the app-based transport sector.

At a reparative panel in Abuja yesterday, they warned that weak verification systems are exposing drivers to violent crime and leaving victims without protection or redress.

The digital labour workers’ initiative provided platform where app-based drivers and families of deceased workers gave testimonies of robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and fatal attacks linked to ride-hailing platforms.

The president of AUATWON, Damola Adeniro, said the event was part of efforts to adapt restorative justice principles to labour and employment relations in the digital economy.

He said platform workers were often trapped in “ambiguous and disguised” employment relationships that deny them social protection while exposing them to significant occupational risks.

Adeniro said evidence presented at the panel showed that inadequate passenger profiling had contributed to cases of manslaughter and aggravated assault against drivers.

He argued that restoring trust and preventing repeat victimisation would require stronger government intervention, including mandatory National Identification Number (NIN) verification for all platform users.

According to organisers, the proposed framework would require ride-hailing companies to verify both drivers and passengers through their NINs within a specified period, while also extending insurance and social protection benefits to drivers and their dependants in cases of injury or death on duty.

Adeniro said, “To prevent re-victimisation, the government needs to take responsibility by ensuring that all workers and all passengers on platforms are verified through their NIN. The robbery, kidnapping, killings of drivers and car thefts happening on these platforms are frequent and profiling is the only mechanism we are proposing to address this.”

The president of AFRJ, Prof Donjohn Omale, said the summit created a space for victims who could not afford prolonged legal battles against multinational technology firms to be heard.

He said restorative justice offered an alternative pathway to accountability by focusing on harm, responsibility and repair rather than punitive litigation.

Omale added that profiling riders and drivers was not only a labour issue but also a national security concern, noting that poor identity verification could be exploited for broader criminal and insurgent activities.

He said the outcomes of the Abuja reparative panel would feed into proposals for a regulatory directive aimed at redefining employment relationships and strengthening oversight in the platform economy.

Omale said, “These victims are vulnerable people who cannot sue global app companies in court. This summit is about making their voices heard and compelling app-based corporations to take responsibility for the safety of their workers, while also strengthening national security through proper profiling of drivers and passengers.”

Other stakeholders at the forum said the initiative aligned with efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by expanding social protection, improving workplace safety and ensuring shared responsibility between platforms, workers and regulators.