A female commercial driver has called for justice after being assaulted by an Agbero while attempting to prevent the theft of her vehicle’s battery in Lagos State.
In a video that went viral on Tuesday, the woman, visibly distressed with a swollen face, described how the Agbero boarded her vehicle near the Oriental Hotel, pretending to be a passenger headed to the Nigerian Law School.
The victim explained that she became suspicious when she noticed him through her rear-view mirror, allegedly trying to steal her car battery. Upon confronting him, he reportedly attacked her, hitting her, tearing her clothes, and dragging her in public.
“He began beating me when I asked him what he was doing with my battery,” she tearfully recounted in the video.
“Look at my face—look at what he did to me. He ripped my clothes and battered me. I am pleading with anyone watching this video to help me. Please contact human rights. Is this how a woman trying to survive should be treated?”
The driver, whose identity remains unknown, expressed frustration over being ignored by the unions to which she pays daily levies. She accused both the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the Lagos State government of disregarding the frequent harassment and violence female drivers endure.
“This man must face justice. He should be made an example of. I won’t stop until I get justice. I am working every day just to survive. Is it a crime to be a female commercial driver in Lagos?” she added.
The woman also alleged that the attacker is part of a group of street thugs notorious for targeting commercial drivers, stealing car batteries and other valuables from parked vehicles.