Abuja – A Nigerian lawmaker was filmed brutalising an e-hailing driver at the politician’s residence in the country’s capital Abuja.
The lawmaker, identified as Alex Ikwegh, is a member of the House of Representatives, representing Aba North & South Federal Constituency in Abia, a southeastern state, in the Green Chamber on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
In a trending video, recorded by the driver, the lawmaker insulted and slapped the driver, identified as Stephen Abuwatseya, for asking him to come to his car to collect what he (the driver) was there to deliver.
He also threatened to make the driver disappear from the country, saying nothing would happen if he did.
Ikwegh refused to pay the driver and bragged about being a member of the House of Representatives, and broke the driver’s phone and tore his clothes for what the lawmaker described as “disrespect”.
He also threatened to beat Abuwatseya and lock the driver in his generator house to make him suffer.
“Do you know where you are? Do you know who I am?,” Ikwegh ranted.
Abuwatseya replied with a soft tone: “Oh, no sir. Just give me the money back.”
The lawmaker said: “So you think I will give you my money with the way you have spoken to me?”
The driver replied: “I did a job for you and you have to pay me.”
But Ikwegh said: “You will not see any penny from me. With this level of disrespect, you are very stupid, very-very stupid.”
The lawmaker then put a call through to a woman who is believed to be the one who sent the driver to deliver the package, saying: “Madam, who is this stupid boy that you sent to this my house? Who is this foolish boy that you sent to my house?
“How can this stupid idiot come to my house and tell me that I’m supposed to come and meet him in his car and pick up snails that I’m buying from you?”
The woman could be faintly heard saying, “How can he say that? I’m so sorry he doesn’t know who you are.”
The lawmaker continued, “Can you imagine this rat? I can make this man to disappear in the whole Nigeria and nothing will happen. Can you imagine this rat.”
The woman on the phone apologised, saying, “I’m so sorry sir.”
Ikwegh then declared: “I’m not going to give this boy one Naira of my money. No, no, I am not going to give this silly boy one Naira of my money.”
Abuwatseya gently said, “You have been insulting me since and I have been quiet.”
The lawmaker quickly replied: “I pray that you insult me. Can you please insult me? I’m not going to call my policemen to beat you up. I will beat you up.
“I will show you that I’m a big brother to you. I will slap the hell out of you and I will lay you down, walk you into my generator house. How dare you?”
The driver then asked: “Why should you do that?”
The tyrant lawmaker replied: “Do you know who you are talking to? Do you know where you are? Because you saw me sitting outside here? Look at this monkey.”
The driver said: “That doesn’t matter. Just pay me my money. I don’t care what I am.”
The lawmaker said: “Are you looking at me that you can beat me or are you looking at me, what…”, and slapped the driver twice.
Ikwegh bragged: “Who the hell do you think you are talking to?”
“Do you know who I am? I’m a Senator of this Republic,” he said and slapped the driver the third time, adding, “Do you know who the *** I am? How dare you.”
The assaulted driver gently said: “Are you slapping me, sir?” and the tyrant lawmaker said: “You see this place, you will suffer. I will deal with you.”
Abuwatseya asked again, “Are you slapping me sir?”, and Ikwegh replied: “I just did. Slap me back. How dare you? Do you know who I am?”
Still sounding calm, the driver said: “That is fine. Did you just slap me three times sir?” and Ikwegh said, twice, the third one you will soon receive it. How dare you? Come on, get out of this place.”
But the driver insisted, “I need my payment, sir.”
While recording the incident, the driver said, “Alright, this is where I am. I just got three slaps from this man here just because I told him to come and get his stuff and pay me my money.
“He is claiming that he is …,” but the lawmaker immediately interrupted him and boastfully introduced himself, saying: “My name is Honourble Alex Ikwegh, I’m a member of the House of Reps. Tell them I slapped you. Call the Inspector General of Police. Call him, let him come. Record me very well.
“You came to my house to disrespect me.”
The driver then said: “I didn’t disrespect you. I said pay me my money and let me leave”, with lawless lawmaker aggressively snatching the driver’s phone from him.
In a second video, the driver showed his face saying: “This is where I am. I’m actually with one man. I got a request for delivery to him. As you can see, I don’t have a shirt. He shredded my clothes and he slapped me three times.
“The man is sitting outside here and there is nothing I can do about it. My phone is broken because I was videoing what he was doing and he dragged the phone from me.
“All ATWAN members please come to Maitama, back to the Farmers’ Market. I have not even ended the ride. Look at me and this is the man seated. This is my shirt and I have collected three slaps from him without saying a word. He has been slapping me. He has insulted me.
“Everybody that is an ATWAN member should please come to Maitama, Labida Court, beside Farmers’ Market.”
Reacting to the incident, the Nigeria Police Force said in a statement on social media platform X: “The Nigeria Police Force is aware of the incident between a Bolt driver, Mr. Stephen Abuwatseya, and Hon. Alexander Ikwegh, which took place on October 27, 2024, in Maitama, Abuja.
“The FCT Command is actively handling the case following Mr. Abuwatseya’s official report at the Maitama Divisional Headquarters. The Police Force also urges the public to refrain from using the name or office of the Inspector-General of Police to intimidate others, as such actions undermine the values of impartiality that the IGP’s office upholds.”
Nigeria’s leadership is characterized by thuggery, violence, intimidation and harassment.
Politicians are placed above the laws of the land including the constitution; they and their thugs can carry arms without hindrance in Nigeria. They are entitled to police escorts and are immune to crime of abduction, intimidation, harassment and maiming.
Political thugs are also kept for various political purposes such as intimidating, harassment, violence, assassination of their target opponent. While some of the thugs are placed on regular salaries, with allowance accompanying their remuneration, some of them are employed as special adviser, special assistant and personal assistants when they won the election while those who do not fit in for the aforementioned positions are made contractors to the government.