RismadarVoice Reporters
January 19, 2026
A cousin to former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, Don Pedro Obaseki, has announced his decision to seek legal redress over his alleged harassment by armed men in Benin City on December 28.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Obaseki said the decision followed extensive consultations with his family, members of the Obaseki clan, senior legal advisers and respected elders.
He stressed that the move was not motivated by revenge or politics, rather by the need for accountability, deterrence, protection of human dignity.
According to him, he was forcibly seized in public by suspected thugs in what he described as a daylight operation intended to instil fear.
He alleged that he was stripped naked at Uwa Primary School, where he had gone to play football, an incident that was later captured in a viral video.
Obaseki said he was taken to the palace, made to kneel at the gate, after the suspects allegedly described him as an enemy of the Oba.
He said palace chiefs reportedly intervened, insisting there was no justification for violence, after which he was detained for several hours without any formal allegation or charge.
He described the incident as a grave violation of his fundamental rights, adding that the actions amounted to terrorism-related violence under Nigerian law due to public intimidation, threats to life.
Obaseki disclosed that the abductors claimed they were acting on the instructions of the Oba of Benin or the palace, however noted that the Benin Traditional Council has formally denied any involvement or prior knowledge of the incident.
He said both civil and criminal proceedings would be pursued, while also confirming that international human-rights bodies have been notified, given the wider implications for public safety and the rule of law.
Obaseki added that he has engaged senior advocate Femi Falana, who will serve as lead counsel in the matter.
He emphasized that the legal action is directed solely at the individual perpetrators, anyone found to have aided or enabled the acts, while respecting the presumption of innocence and ongoing investigations.
