A medical doctor, Morenikeji Oluwaniyi, who enrolled as a driver on Uber, has been reportedly strangled by a four-man gang in the Abule Egba area of Lagos State, in the course of carrying out his work.
The 27-year-old was said to have converted his Toyota Corolla to an Uber ride to raise money for his sustenance, but his life was cut short on Sunday.
It was gathered that one the assailants requested to be conveyed to Ikeja around 10pm on Sunday, after which he was joined by 3 other members of the gang.
As the vehicle got to the Underbridge area in Abule Egba, the hoodlums reportedly pounced on him and strangled him.
After perpetrating the crime, the murderers were said to have dumped the victim’s corpse on the ground and fled with the car.
Oluwaniyi’s girlfriend, Adeola Adesanwo, narrated that she became worried when his number was not reachable so she tracked his car to a mechanic’s workshop on Oyadeyi Close, Abule Egba.
She said, “After tracking the car to that location, I noticed that the number plate of the car and the tyres had been removed. I went to report at the Meiran Police Station. Some policemen followed me to the scene and we picked up the mechanic and one of the culprits.
“At the station, they told us that the trip was a set-up, as they had planned to rob any Uber driver and it was unfortunate that it had to be him. They did not even give him an option; they strangled him from the back seat, pushed him out of the car and drove to the Afrika Shine to celebrate.
“They took us to where the crime was committed at the Underbridge in Abule Egba and that was where we found his corpse. They could have asked for the car and he would have dropped it because he was a medical doctor who cherished life.”
She added that, “Oluwaniyi just got a medical job and was supposed to resume at 8am on Monday; he accepted to do the trip so he could have extra cash at hand when he resumes.
“He left the house around 10.20pm and by 12 midnight, his phone was switched off and he didn’t return home. When he was still not reachable, I called the company he got the car from and they had already implanted a tracker in the car. The company assisted in tracking the car to the address where it was found.”
However, the police said they have arrested 3 members of the car snatching syndicate.
The suspects identified as Sodiq Taiwo, Oladimeji and Rilwan Nasir, were arrested by detectives attached to the Meiran Police Division, Lagos State Command.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the arrest on Wednesday.
He said, “The suspects, Rilwan Nasiru, 27; Sodiq Taiwo, 23 and Oladimeji, 20, booked a Uber service online, lured the driver to the Meiran area and strangled him. The suspects, after the dastardly act, dumped his body on the Abule Egba Bridge, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway and made away with his Toyota Corolla saloon car.
“Following a report by the victim’s fiancée at the police station on September 6, detectives immediately put in motion investigation mechanisms which led to the arrest of the suspects in their criminal hideouts, and recovery of the stolen car.”
