The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly condemned the violent attack on Dr. Pedro Obaseki, a former Managing Director of DAAR Communications and cousin of ex–Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, describing the incident as a disturbing display of lawlessness.
Reports indicate that Pedro Obaseki was assaulted at Uwa Primary School in Benin City, where he had gone to play football. He was allegedly beaten, intimidated, stripped, and subjected to degrading treatment by armed individuals before being forcibly taken to the Oba of Benin’s Palace.
A video widely circulated on social media shows the victim, already half-naked, being marched to the palace by the suspected attackers, where some palace chiefs were seen receiving them. The assailants reportedly told palace guards that they had apprehended an “Oghion,” a term loosely translated as an enemy of the Oba.
However, palace officials later informed the group—speaking in the Bini language—that the Oba was not present at the palace, as he had gone to the Holy Arousa Cathedral for a thanksgiving service marking the end of the Igue Festival. Despite resistance from the attackers, palace chiefs eventually took Pedro Obaseki inside the palace premises.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Publicity Secretary, Dan Osa-Ogbegie, the PDP alleged that youth members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were responsible for the assault, stripping, and public humiliation of Pedro Obaseki.
The opposition party questioned the legality of Pedro’s treatment, expressing concern that while the victim was reportedly taken to a police station, those who allegedly carried out the attack were left unchallenged.
The PDP issued a list of demands, calling for:
- The immediate identification, arrest, and prosecution of everyone involved in the assault and humiliation of Dr. Pedro Obaseki, regardless of political affiliation.
- A clear and public disassociation by all traditional institutions from the incident.
- A public explanation from the Edo State Government and the Police Command regarding their failure to protect a citizen and their perceived tolerance of mob violence.
- Concrete steps to dismantle political thuggery and restore the rule of law in Edo State.
While expressing sympathy to Pedro Obaseki and his family, the PDP insisted that Edo State is not a crime zone and that Benin City must not be reduced to a jungle.
The party further warned that the incident reflects a broader and troubling pattern of insecurity in the state, citing an increase in street violence, intimidation, and mob action allegedly driven by politically protected groups.
According to the PDP, attempts to justify such actions under the guise of tradition are unacceptable, stressing that no cultural institution authorises torture, public stripping, or degrading treatment.
The party also raised concerns over what it described as an inversion of justice, questioning why the victim was reportedly taken to the police while the alleged perpetrators walked free.
The statement called directly on the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, to uphold the constitutional duty of protecting citizens and resist any form of political influence, warning that selective or delayed justice erodes public trust and undermines the rule of law.
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