A member of the House of Representatives, Alex Mascot Ikwechegh has been dragged to court for assaulting a Bolt driver, Stephen Abuwatseya who was delivering a package to the lawmakers residence in Maitama, Abuja, not knowing he was to be beaten.
Abuwatseya (victim) recorded and shared the video where the lawmaker slapped him countlessly and used derogatory words like ‘rat’ and ‘poor monkey’ on him in Abuja over a delivery disagreement.
In a disturbing clip on Monday, the visibly enraged Ikwechegh was seen, repeatedly slapping and berating the said bolt driver for allegedly disrespecting him by asking him to come outside to receive a package of snails. As the confrontation increased, Ikwechegh made alarming threats, claiming he had the power to “make the driver disappear” without facing any repercussions.
As the public reacts to the present controversy, calls are mounting for immediate action against Ikwechegh, with many demanding that authorities investigate the matter and hold him accountable for his actions.
The lawmaker is scheduled to be arraigned before the Kuje Magistrate Court on Wednesday. The probe and prosecution of Ikwechegh are being handled by the Inspector General of Police’s Special Investigation Unit.
The lawmaker was also shown in the viral video threatening that he could make Abuwatseya ‘disappear’ forever and nothing would happen, a development that sparked outrage amongst netizens, and other Nigerian's.
Hon. Ikwechegh, however, apologized to his colleagues in the Green Chamber and Nigerians on Tuesday following a statement of public apology he had earlier released.
He was also questioned by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the Nigeria Police for belittling the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) during the altercation with the driver.
However, an Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, on Wednesday disclosed that the lawmaker will be arraigned before a Kuje Magistrate Court by the Police for assaulting his client, Steven Abuwatseya, who is a nominal complainant in the matter, this Wednesday.
“We are on our way to Kuje Magistrate Court for the arraignment of the honourable member who assaulted our client, Mr, Steven, a bolt driver. The IGP’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) is in-charge of the investigation and prosecution. The media is invited to cover the arraignment, which is scheduled for 12pm today at Kuje Magistrate." Deji stated.
