I’m now friends with assaulted cab driver, says Abia lawmaker

Alex Ikwechegh, the House of Representatives member who came under fire in 2024 for assaulting an e-hailing app driver, Stephen Abuwatseya, has said that they have become friends.

In a video that went viral in 2024, Ikwechegh was seen assaulting the driver and threatening to make him disappear.

While justifying his actions, the lawmaker said that Abuwatseya was disrespectful for asking him to leave his house and collect the package he was sent to deliver.

Three months after the incident, Ikwechegh described the incident as unfortunate during an interview with Channel Television.

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“What happened was quite unfortunate, but I take it that it’s an avenue for me as a person to also build a relationship with the young man that came. Today we are friends. It was taken to court, but of course, the court found no merits, and it was struck out,” he said.

He added that he reacted that way because he felt the sanctity of his home was being desecrated and that his actions towards the driver were not indicative of his personality.

“The young man is my friend now. I’m very close to his bishop, his pastor. And I’ve met a bunch of new friends, and today, the whole Nigerian now knows. I guess, we’ve moved on,” Ikwechegh added.