Former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has condemned the attack on his cousin, Don Pedro Obaseki, who was reportedly stripped naked and assaulted by suspected political thugs in Benin City on Sunday.
Don Pedro Obaseki, the Chief Executive Officer of Hosamudia Farm, was attacked while playing football at Uwa Primary School in the Edo State capital. A video of the incident, which has since gone viral, showed him surrounded by several men after the assault.
Witnesses said the attackers abducted him from the football field and took him to the Oba of Benin’s palace, where he was allegedly forced to kneel at the palace gate. The thugs reportedly told palace guards that they had brought an “Oghion,” meaning an enemy of the Oba.
Some palace chiefs, who spoke in the Bini language, were heard cautioning the attackers against causing trouble, noting that the Oba was on his way to the Holy Arousa Cathedral for a thanksgiving service to mark the end of the Igue festival.
One of the chiefs said, “Today is thanksgiving day at the Holy Arousa. We don’t want any trouble. If there is anybody that counts himself as an enemy of the Oba, allow him and see how he will end up.”
Despite resistance from the suspected thugs, the chiefs later took Don Pedro Obaseki into the palace.
Reacting to the incident, former Governor Obaseki described the attack as a serious abuse of human rights and a breakdown of law and order.
“I strongly condemn the violent attack on my cousin, Dr. Pedro Obaseki, by armed thugs,” he said.
According to him, “Dr Obaseki, a former Managing Director of DAAR Communications and a renowned journalist, was attacked at Uwa Primary School, where he was subjected to physical assault, intimidation, and torture by the armed thugs before being forcefully taken to the palace.”
The former governor called on security agencies to immediately investigate the incident and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
“A situation where thugs and non-state actors appear to freely take the law into their own hands on behalf of high-profile individuals and those in positions of authority can only result in one outcome, a degeneration into a state of anarchy, which will do no one any good,” he warned.
He also appealed to human rights groups, civil society organisations and concerned Nigerians to speak out against what he described as a gross violation of fundamental rights.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Police Command said the situation had been brought under control. The Police Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, had met with the parties involved over the matter.
