Thugs Attack And Strip Don Pedro Obaseki Naked During Football Game In Benin City
Chaos erupted in Benin City on Sunday after suspected political thugs attacked and humiliated Don Pedro Obaseki, the Chief Executive Officer of Hosamudia Farm.
Obaseki, who is a cousin of former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, was reportedly playing football at Uwa Primary School when the assailants stormed the field and attacked him. A video of the incident later surfaced online, showing him being stripped naked and subjected to physical abuse.
Eyewitnesses said the thugs forcefully abducted Obaseki and marched him to the Oba of Benin’s palace, where he was compelled to kneel at the palace gate. The attackers reportedly informed palace guards that they had arrested an “Oghion (enemy) of Oba.”
Palace chiefs later intervened and cautioned the thugs against causing unrest, explaining 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 warned, “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 objections from the attackers, the palace chiefs eventually took Obaseki into the palace.
Reacting to the incident, former governor Godwin Obaseki condemned the attack, describing it as a gross abuse of human rights and a dangerous disregard for the rule of law.
“I strongly condemn the violent attack on my cousin, Dr. Pedro Obaseki, by armed thugs. 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.”
He urged security agencies to immediately carry out a thorough and transparent investigation to ensure the perpetrators are held accountable.
“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.”
The former governor also called on human rights groups, civil society organisations, and concerned Nigerians to speak out against what he described as a blatant violation of fundamental rights.
Meanwhile, Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, said the situation had been brought under control, adding that the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, had met with the parties involved to address the matter.
