Amnesty International Nigeria and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State have condemned the alleged abduction of Dr Don Pedro Obaseki, a cousin to the former Governor of the State, Godwin Obaseki by youths suspected to be thugs in Benin City.
DAILY POST reports that dozens of youths on Sunday, December 28, 2025 allegedly abducted the media guru and renowned filmmaker, attacked and stripped him at a football field at Uwa Primary School, Igbesamwen in the State capital.
The Amnesty International in a statement posted on its X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook official pages described the alleged abduction as barbaric and humiliating.
The group while noting that what happened to Pedro Obaseki is unlawful and shows complete disdain for due process, called on the Nigerian Police to investigate the incident and ensure that all those suspected of involvement in the crime are brought to justice.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the barbaric and unlawful abduction and humiliation of Mr. Pedro Obaseki, a renowned Nigerian filmmaker, who was attacked and stripped on Sunday by thugs at Uwa Primary School, where he went to play football. After being stripped naked he was dragged through the streets over alleged comments at a public gathering.
“The incident shared in a viral video shows chilling disregard for human dignity. The mob was carrying arms and chanting death songs through the streets while dragging Mr. Obaseki and making him beg for his life in tears.
“What happened to Mr. Obaseki is unlawful and shows complete disdain for due process. The Nigerian police @PoliceNG must investigate the incident and ensure that all those suspected of involvement in this crime are brought to justice.
“What happened in Benin city on Sunday is unacceptable in a free society. It is also prohibited under international human rights law and standards aimed at safeguarding human dignity and protecting people from violence”, the statement read.
In its statement the Edo State chapter of PDP opined that the conduct of the youths that attacked Pedro Obaseki does not represent the character, history, or values of the Benin people.
The statement signed by Publicity Secretary, Dan Osa-Ogbegie, noted that Benin civilisation is renowned for dignity, restraint, order, and respect for human worth.
The Edo PDP added that the hooligans that carried out the atrocity do not speak for Benin, nor do they embody its culture, stating that they are a disgrace to it.
“What occurred on Sunday was not a spontaneous outburst. It was a premeditated ambush. Dr. Obaseki, who had gone to play football at his regular spot, was accosted by a mob, harassed, threatened with death, stripped naked, and forcibly dragged towards the Palace of the Oba of Benin.
“Videos circulating widely leave no room for doubt. This was barbarism in its rawest form. It was evil, uncivilised, and utterly repugnant.
“Dr. Pedro Obaseki is an illustrious son of Benin, a respected intellectual and media voice whose scholarship and advocacy have enriched Edo and Nigeria. He poses no threat to public peace.
“On the contrary, with his pen, insight, and global reach, he has served as a cultural and intellectual asset. To brutalise such a citizen in public view is to drag Edo’s name through the mud before the world.
This incident must be situated within a wider and deeply disturbing pattern.
“Over the past year, Edo State has witnessed an alarming descent into lawlessness, street violence, intimidation, and the normalisation of mob action, largely driven by politically protected thugs masquerading as party loyalists.
“Assaults go unpunished. Perpetrators are shielded. Official silence has become policy. The result is a climate of fear in which citizens are uncertain of their safety and sceptical of state protection.
“The PDP notes with grave concern attempts by some to cloak this criminality in the garb of traditional grievance. For the avoidance of doubt, no palace, including the revered institution of the Oba of Benin Palace, sanctions human rights violations.
“No tradition authorises torture, stripping, or degrading treatment. If any citizen is alleged to have committed an offence, the police station, not the street, is the lawful venue. No individual, no mob, and no political gang is above the law.
“It must also be firmly placed on record that all Edo people are loyal children and servants of Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, the Oba of Benin. Our allegiance, as Benin or Edo people, is first and foremost to the Edo Nation, which the Oba embodies in history, culture, authority, and moral leadership.
“No true Benin man undermines that sacred bond. To suggest otherwise is either ignorance or mischief. None of the overzealous assailants of Dr. Pedro Agbonifo Obaseki has done one per cent of what he has contributed to the advancement, intellectual defence, and positive global projection of Benin civilisation, a fact that even senior Palace Chiefs can readily attest to.
“Dr. Obaseki understands deeply the values of the Oba and the symbiotic, sacred relationship between the throne and the people. Like most true Benin men, he would defend, protect, and guide the institution of the Oba of Benin with his life. Any attempt to weaponise the revered institution of the Oba to justify criminality, mob action, or political thuggery is a gross insult to the throne and a dangerous distortion of Benin values,” the statement said.
The party called on security agencies to immediately identify, arrest, and prosecute all persons involved in the assault and humiliation of Dr. Pedro Obaseki, regardless of their political affiliation.
It also demanded for a public explanation from the Edo State Government and the State Police Command for their failure to protect a citizen and their alleged apparent tolerance of mob violence.
“Concrete and visible measures to dismantle political thuggery and restore the rule of law in Edo State. Edo State is not a crime scene. Benin is not a jungle,” it added.
Amnesty International, PDP condemn attack on Pedro Obaseki
Source: Amnesty International, PDP condemn attack on Pedro Obaseki
