The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested a lawmaker for assaulting a driver in the nation’s capital.
Police spokesperson for the Command, Josephine Adeh, confirmed that Alex Mascot Ikwechegh “is at the Maitama Police Station undergoing questioning”.
In a statement on Monday, the Command said the Bolt driver Stephen Abuwatseya reported the matter to the Command.
In a now-viral video, the House of Representatives member was seen slapping the Bolt driver.
Ikwechegh represents Aba North & South Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
A furious Ikwechegh was captured in the video in casual wear as he lounged in his compound somewhere in the FCT on Sunday evening.
Going by the conversation recorded in the viral video, the lawmaker had ordered some snails from a vendor who engaged the services of the e-hailing App driver to deliver the goods.
A heated disagreement ensued when the Bolt driver, Stephen Abuwatseya, arrived at the lawmaker’s residence and asked to be paid.
A furious Ikwechegh was heard speaking with the vendor on the phone. “How can this stupid idiot come to me and tell me that I am supposed to come and meet him in his car and pick up a snail I am buying from you? I can make this man disappear in the whole of Nigeria and nothing will happen.” the lawmaker blurted to the speaker on the other side.
After the phone conversation with the snail vendor, Ikwechegh faced Abuwatseya and said, “You will not get a penny from me with this level of disrespect. You will suffer, I will deal with you.”
The APGA lawmaker fulfilled his threat and thudded two slaps on the cheeks of the driver who maintained his composure in the face of the assault.
To capture that he had been slapped, the Bolt driver asked, “Are you slapping me, sir?”
“I just did, slap me back. How dare you?” the lawmaker angrily retorted.
“Do you slap me thrice sir?”
“Twice, you will soon receive the third one.”
When alerted that the episode was recorded, the lawmaker told the driver: “My name is Honourable Alexander Mascot Ikwechegh, I am a member of the House of Reps, tell them. Call the Inspector General of Police, let him come.”
Spirited Outrage
Ikwechegh and the House of Representatives have not released a statement on the incident but many Nigerians online have demanded that justice be served in the matter.
The police frowned upon the lawmaker’s “dismissive attitude toward the office of the Inspector General of Police following the incident”.
“After allegedly slapping the victim, he reportedly remarked with contempt, ‘You can go ahead and call the Inspector General of Police,’ demonstrating a troubling disregard for the authority of law enforcement.
“Currently, the suspect is at the Maitama Police Station undergoing questioning,” the police said in a statement.
The Command said the Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Olatunji Disu, has mandated a thorough investigation into the matter.
“The Command is committed to conducting an impartial investigation and ensuring justice in all cases. Upon completion of the investigation, appropriate legal action will be taken.”
Like Nigeria, Like UK?
The Nigerian incident followed a similar one in the United Kingdom when a lawmaker Mike Amesbury was captured in footage appearing to show him punching a man to the ground and then continuing to attack him.
It appeared to show the 55-year-old MP, who represents a parliamentary seat in northwest England, repeatedly hitting another man as others nearby shouted: “Stop it”.
Britain’s ruling Labour Party immediately suspended the lawmaker “pending an investigation”.
