By Dr. Pedro Obaseki
“In every society, there are moments when what is said matters. There are also moments—far more dangerous—when what is not said matters even more.”
On Sunday, 28 December 2025, while I was playing football at Uwa Primary School on Igbesanmwan Street in Benin City, I was attacked and forcibly abducted by a group of men, some of whom were armed.
I was kidnapped beaten, stripped completely naked, and dragged through public streets, including in front of Holy Aruosa Church. I was paraded in that condition over a distance of about five kilometres and taken forcibly into the Oba’s Palace, where the assault and humiliation continued. My abductors/kidnappers claimed severally that they were instructed to abduct me by the Palace of the Oba of Benin.
I was later taken to the Oba Market Police Station, where I was detained for about five hours. During that time, I was informed that my release depended on clearance from the Oba.
These are facts. They are not opinions.
Let me say this clearly and firmly:
What happened to me is unacceptable in a constitutional democracy. No citizen should be abducted in broad daylight, stripped naked, assaulted, humiliated, or detained without lawful cause—no matter who is involved or who is named.
Many Nigerians have rightly asked:
Why has there been no public denunciation of this violence by the Palace or by the Edo State
Government?
This question matters.
I am not accusing anyone of ordering or endorsing what happened. But when an act of such gravity occurs—public, violent, and degrading—silence from institutions with moral and political authority is not neutral. Silence creates fear. Silence weakens confidence in the rule of law. Silence risks normalising abuse.
Let me be clear:
Calling for denunciation is not an attack on tradition. It is a defence of order, dignity, and restraint.
The Benin Kingdom has survived centuries because it adapted, exercised moral authority, and commanded respect—not fear.
A clear and unambiguous statement condemning the violence against me (which the perpetrators claimed boldly and unequivocally was carried in the name of the Oba of Benin), affirming that no one may take the law into their own hands, and reaffirming respect for constitutional rights would have reassured Edo people and Nigerians everywhere.
This is not about tradition versus modernity.
It is about law versus lawlessness.
I have petitioned the appropriate authorities, including the Inspector-General of Police, and I have submitted evidence, including video recordings circulated to humiliate me.
My demands are simple:
• A transparent and independent investigation
• Accountability for anyone who broke the law
• And protection for myself and my family
A simple statement condemning violence, affirming due process, and reiterating respect for constitutional rights would have helped heal wounds and calm tensions. That opportunity remains open.
History teaches us this:
Institutions are not judged only by the injustices they commit, but by the injustices they fail to condemn.
Nigeria’s democracy may be weak. Yes. Nigeria’s democracy will not collapse because one man was abused. But it will weaken further if such abuse is met with silence.
I have chosen the path of law, not anger. I have chosen institutions, not mobs. I still believe that justice, spoken clearly and acted upon courageously, strengthens us all.
I am calm. I am peaceful. But I am firm.
Nigeria cannot protect its democracy if it cannot protect the dignity of one citizen, who was dehumanized and brutalized in broad daylight, and on the alleged orders of non-state actors.
I pray that you never suffer my fate.
– Pedro Agbonifo Obaseki, MBA, PhD.
_(Victim)_
