Popular social media activist and commentator, Martins Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, has called out the Dangote Group, accusing the company of abandoning a 22-year-old woman who was allegedly crushed by one of its truck drivers in Edo State.
In a video shared on Instagram, the activist showed the young victim lying in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Auchi, where she has reportedly been battling for her life for nearly a year. According to him, the woman — whose name was not disclosed — was on her way to defend her project when she was hit. Her medical bills have now climbed above ₦5 million.
VeryDarkMan claimed that Dangote Group has turned its back on the victim despite being responsible for the accident. He revealed that he had joined locals in protesting the movement of Dangote trucks in Auchi, insisting that the company must take responsibility for its drivers’ actions.
“On reaching the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, we met an abandoned victim of Dangote’s reckless, unlicensed driver. She has been in the hospital for 11 months with bills of over ₦5 million, yet Dangote has abandoned her,” he wrote. He further vowed that no Dangote truck would be allowed to operate in Auchi until justice is done.
The company has not yet responded to the allegation as of the time of this report. This development comes just days after Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner, Phyna Otabor, also called out Dangote Group, following an accident in which her sister, Ruth, was crushed by another Dangote truck in Auchi.
In that case, the company promised to cover Ruth’s medical expenses. However, questions are now being raised about how consistently Dangote Group handles such incidents, especially as its trucks are frequently linked to accidents across the country.
Meanwhile, the controversy comes at a critical time for the company, with the Dangote Refinery preparing to roll out 4,000 new compressed natural gas trucks for fuel distribution nationwide. The scheme, initially scheduled to begin on August 15, 2025, has been delayed, with the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) citing truck numbering as the main reason.
