Bolt, Uber: Nigerians, South Africans face off in ride-hailing war

Some Nigerian and South African users of the ride-hailing apps Bolt and Uber have engaged in a series of retaliatory pranks on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

The conflict started when some South African users began gloating about booking fake rides in Nigeria, targeting Nigerian e-hailing drivers by sending them to specific pick-up locations only to cancel the rides upon their arrival.

Screenshots and videos circulated on X showed South Africans booking rides in various parts of Lagos, such as Ikeja, Satellite Town, and Yaba, and then mocking the Nigerian drivers who fell for the trick.

One South African user commented about the small cancellation fee, which is just N400 (around R4.50), implying that the prank was worth the minor cost.

This behavior has sparked a retaliatory response from Nigerian users, who began pulling similar pranks on South African drivers by booking and canceling rides.

The online feud has led to a series of posts where Nigerians express their determination to outdo their South African counterparts.

Some users referenced the recent xenophobia-related controversy involving Chidimma Adetshina, a model who withdrew from the Miss South Africa beauty pageant, adding to the tension between the two communities.

Chidimma Adetshina had withdrawn from the pageantry after the Home Affairs ministry accused her mother of fraud and identity theft.

“After much careful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw myself from the competition for the safety and wellbeing of my family and I,” Adetshina, 23, wrote on Instagram.