South Africa vs. Nigeria: Bolt Says App Feature Misused, May Compensate Drivers

On Thursday, a feud between South Africans and Nigerians took a digital turn, causing widespread disruption on the ride-hailing platform, Bolt.

Users in both countries exploited the international order feature on the Bolt app, placing fake ride requests that led to chaos and service interruptions.

Yahaya Mohammed, the Country Manager for Bolt Nigeria, addressed the situation during an interview on Arise TV on Friday.

He explained that the international order feature, which allows users to book rides in countries other than their own, had been misused for the first time since its introduction 11 years ago.

“This feature has benefited customers worldwide, as Bolt operates in 50 countries. Unfortunately, it was recently abused, causing disruptions,” Mohammed said.

Investigating Compensation for Affected Drivers

When asked if Bolt would compensate drivers who lost time and fuel due to the fake orders, Mohammed stated that the company is currently investigating the incident.

“We are analyzing the rides that were booked, the kilometers driven, and assessing potential compensation.

I will be communicating with drivers in the coming days,” he noted.

Preventing Future Misuse

To prevent similar issues in the future, Mohammed said Bolt would restrict access to the international order feature when unusual activity is detected.

On Thursday, Bolt responded by blocking inter-country ride requests between South Africa and Nigeria and identified and blocked the users responsible for the fake orders.

“What we did was to block the high volume of orders coming from both Nigeria and South Africa.

We also traced the IP addresses from both countries and restricted them from ordering outside these regions,” he explained.

Background of the Dispute

The disruption on Bolt stemmed from a long-running social media feud between Nigerians and South Africans.

The tension escalated on Thursday after Chidinma Adetshina, a former Miss South Africa contestant, arrived in Nigeria for the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, sparking online backlash.

South Africans reportedly initiated the conflict by ordering and then canceling rides from Nigerian Bolt and Uber drivers, leaving them stranded.

In response, Nigerians retaliated with similar tactics, targeting ride-hailing services in South Africa.

The incident highlights how digital platforms can be weaponized in international disputes, causing real-world consequences for businesses and service providers.

Bolt is continuing to monitor the situation and plans to implement measures to prevent such disruptions in the future.