The Police have arraigned a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, on Wednesday, before an Abuja Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting at Kuje for allegedly assaulting a bolt driver at his Abuja residence.

The lawmaker, who is representing Aba North and South federal constituency of Abia State, was also accused of abusing his office and threatening the e-hailing driver’s life.

The charge against the defendant bordered on abuse of office, assault, and threat to life.

After the charges were read to him by the court clerk, the defendant entered into a not-guilty plea.

Consequently, the prosecution counsel, Mr. A. Umar, applied for a date for full-blown hearing to commence in the matter.

The bolt driver was represented in court by a human rights activist, Mr. Deji Adeyanju.

However, counsel to the defendant made an oral application for the lawmaker’s release on bail, pending the determination of the case.

The defendant argued that the charge against him contained bailable offences, adding that his right to presumption of innocence was guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

In his ruling, Magistrate Abubakar Umar Sai’id acceded to the defendant’s application for bail and granted Ikwecheg bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in the like sum.

The court stressed that the sureties must not only reside within its jurisdiction but also provide their utility bills as proof of residence.

It subsequently adjourned the matter till November 8 for trial.

Investors King had reported that the federal lawmaker had boasted that he could make the driver disappear without a trace and nothing would happen.

Ikwecheg was seen in a viral video expressing displeasure over what he described as the driver’s rude behaviour towards him when the driver asked him to come out of his residence and collect a delivery.

However, following a widespread condemnation that trailed his action and utterances, the lawmaker tendered a public apology for his conduct.

Activities at various public hospitals and tertiary institutions of learning across Nigeria have been grounded following the industrial action embarked upon by the Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities.

Checks by Investors King on Tuesday revealed that workers belonging to these striking bodies refused to resume their duty posts in compliance with the indefinite strike.

Many patients who had visited public hospitals were not attended to while some newly admitted students of some federal Universities and Polytechnic were stranded in their schools.

It was gathered that there were no workers to attend to them in their registration exercises.

For instance at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State where matriculation events are ongoing, the event was stalled on Tuesday after workers deserted their duty posts.

A pregnant woman who had visited Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo for medical attention said she was not attended to because workers who are members of NASU joined the strike.

Recall that on Monday, federal universities across the country were shut down, in compliance with the indefinite strike called
by the associations.

SSANU and NASU vowed to indefinitely shut down all university activities across the country, starting Monday, until the Federal Government paid the four months withheld salaries.

A statement signed by the National President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, said the ultimatum it gave the Federal Government over its withheld salaries expired Sunday midnight, hence the industrial action.

The unions are demanding, among others, the payment of the four-month withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances, and implementation of the 2009 agreements with the government.

The Federal Government had, through the Ministry of Labour and Employment, invoked the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy when the four university-based unions embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022.

Last October, President Bola Tinubu directed payment of four of the eight months withheld salaries for the academic staff. It was finally paid in February.

The directive was silent about the non-teaching staff, raising concerns as to their fate, a development the unions described as selective.

The Federal Ministry of Education on Monday reached out to the leaders of the university workers’ union, following the declaration of an indefinite strike.

Ibrahim noted that the ministry reached out to him requesting a meeting.

According to Ibrahim, the compliance observed in universities on Monday likely prompted the Federal Ministry of Education to request a meeting.