A journalist working for online news platform Block TV has detailed how a taxi driver assaulted her after she told him to stop fare hiking. 

Sainab Chaw said the incident happened between the hours of 11 and 12pm when she was heading for work.

“I boarded this seven-passenger taxi from Tippa garage going [heading] for Westfield,” she told Gambiana.

Mrs Chaw who sat on the front seat said “I gave him 13 dalasis for him to return me 5 dalasis and the driver said no the fare is 10 dalasis.”

She added: “I told the driver you are not exercising social distancing because the car here is full [to capacity]. You are not exercising social distancing and I cannot pay you 10 dalasis for that. 

“So, he said ‘I don’t care, my fare is 10 dalasis’ and I replied to him that you are the same drivers who had staged a sit-down strike.

“He started insulting me saying ‘you journalists are liars’ and I said to him you don’t even have patience but he continued the insult and I also returned the insult to him. 

“He stopped the car, left his driver seat [and] turned and [met] me where I was  [seated], opened the car door, removed the seatbelt and dragged me from the car and gave me a punch,” she said.

As a powerless young reporter, she couldn’t do anything but hold on his shirt and “started telling him you have offended me and we have to go to the police.”

Mrs Chow, who sustained facial injuries as a results of the punches, said she had reported the assault to police.  

Reporting by Adama Makasuba