Suspected thugs on Sunday assaulted and stripped Don Pedro Obaseki, a veteran filmmaker and cousin of former Edo State governor Godwin Obaseki, in Benin City over alleged verbal attacks on the Oba of Benin.
The incident reportedly occurred on December 28 at Uwa Primary School, where Don Pedro had gone to play football. A video circulating on social media shows him being attacked before he was dragged to the Oba’s palace and made to kneel in the presence of palace chiefs.
In the footage, the assailants were heard telling palace guards that they had apprehended an “Oghion”—an enemy of the Oba.
While the exact statements attributed to Don Pedro remain unclear, the incident has revived public attention on the long-standing rift between the Benin Palace and the administration of former governor Godwin Obaseki.
During his tenure, Obaseki clashed with the traditional institution after placing a ban on Okaigheles (youth leaders) across the seven local government areas of Benin Kingdom, citing their alleged role in fueling cult-related violence. The palace rejected the ban, insisting that the Okaigheles are an integral part of Benin tradition.
The former governor also disagreed with the palace over the return of the Benin Bronzes looted by British forces in 1897. While the Oba maintained that the artifacts should be returned directly to the palace, the Obaseki administration proposed housing them in the privately managed Museum of West African Art (MOWAA).
As of press time, no official statement had been issued by the Edo State Police Command or the Benin Palace regarding the assault.