Blow-by-blow Account of How Abia Rep, Alex Ikwechegh, Attacked Bolt Driver and Threatened to Make him Disappear from Nigeria

By Shola Oshunkeye

For having the temerity to ask a member of the House of Representatives to pay for service rendered, a Bolt driver got what he never bargained for on Sunday, as a viral video just revealed. He got three dirty slaps from the Rep member, and a threat to disappear from Nigeria to boot!

The drama of the absurd played out on Sunday when the Bolt driver, Stephen Abuwatseya, went to deliver a parcel to Hon. Alex Ikwechegh, a member of the All Progressives Alliance, APGA, representing Abia North and South Federal Constituency, at his Maitama residence in Abuja.

It is not clear how the Bolt driver spoke to the Rep, but whatever he said or did got Ikwechegh so angry that he pounced on Stephen Abuwatseya thrice like a hungry lion, dealing three dirty slaps on him.

It didn’t end there, the Honorable, at a point, threatened to beat the driver blue black and lock him up in his generator house. As if that wasn’t enough, Ikwechegh delivered the father of all threats to Abuwatseya, saying he would make him disappear from Nigeria!

The Rep member delivered that threat after calling the sender (apparently a lady) to complain about the driver.

“Who is this stupid boy you sent to this my house? a livid Ikwechegh asked the lady whose voice was barely audible.

The Honorable Rep repeated the question:

“Who is this foolish boy that you set to my house?”

“He is a Bolt driver o,” the woman said.

The tirade continued:

“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 the (dress?) that I am buying from you?”

“He is a Bolt driver,” the woman retorted. “He obviously doesn’t know who you are.”

Now, that got the Rep member angrier. Why would any sane person not know an Honorable Member of the House of Representatives? The lawmaker must have thought.

“Can you imagine this rat?” Ikwechegh snapped. “I can make this man to disappear in the whole of Nigeria and nothing will happen.”

After dealing two hot slaps on the Bolt driver, the lawmaker promised him a third.

Yet, Abuwatseya continued filming and narrating the encounter, as the drama of the disgraceful episode was rolling to an end.

“Alright, this is where I am,” the Bolt driver began his narration. “I just got three slaps from this man here just because I told him to come and take his stuff and pay me my money. He is claiming that he is…”

Before Abuwatseya could finish that statement, Ikwechegh had sprung up from his seat and walked straight to the guy’s camera, saying:

“Tell them! My name is Honourable Alex Ikwechegh, a member of the House of Representative. Tell them I slapped you. Tell them. Call the Inspector General of Police. Call him. Let him come.”

Then, the Rep fulfilled his promise of a third slap, attacking the driver again to close the dark episode.

Meanwhile, Nigerians are horrified by the viral video showing the Rep member’s outrageous behaviour. The question on the lips of every rational Nigerian is: after this shameless episode, what next? Would it just add to the statistics of assaults by big men or would citizen Abuwatseya get justice?

Time will tell.