Prominent Edo State indigene and filmmaker, Dr. Pedro Agbonifo Obaseki, has revealed his intention to sue his assailants following what he described as a brutal public abduction, violent assault, and extra-judicial humiliation in Benin City on December 28, 2025.
In a statement he released over the weekend, Dr. Obaseki said the move followed consultations with his wife, children, family members, senior legal advisers, and respected elders. He emphasized that the decision is not driven by revenge or political motives but by the need for accountability, deterrence, and the protection of human dignity.
According to Dr. Obaseki, he was forcibly seized in broad daylight by armed men in an operation aimed at instilling fear in the wider public. He was reportedly beaten, stripped naked, threatened with death, and paraded along major roads in Benin City while the ordeal was filmed and live-streamed by his attackers. He was later detained for several hours without any lawful charge, sustaining injuries in the process.
Describing the incident as a serious violation of his fundamental rights, Dr. Obaseki said it amounted to terrorism-related violence under Nigerian law, given the use of armed force, explicit threats to life, public intimidation, and the deliberate creation of fear beyond the immediate victim.
According to the statement, Dr. Obaseki has engaged renowned human-rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, to lead civil and criminal proceedings against his assailants.
Obaseki who said the legal action is intended not only to restore his dignity and protect his family but also to send a clear message that no individual or group has the right to abduct, brutalize, or publicly dehumanize any citizen outside the law, informed that he has also formally notified international human-rights bodies to ensure independent oversight and transparency in the investigations.
It will be recalled that Obaseki’s abductors allegedly claimed they acted on instructions from the Oba of Benin and the Oba’s Palace, a claim which was promptly refuted by the Benin Traditional Council.
