Amnesty International has strongly condemned the attack on a renowned Nigerian filmmaker, Don Pedro Obaseki, in Benin City, Edo State, saying it is barbaric and unlawful, while calling for an investigation by the police.
Obaseki, as captured in a viral video was attacked and stripped on Sunday by thugs at Uwa Primary School, where he went to play football.
After being stripped naked, Obaseki was dragged through the streets over alleged comments at a public gathering.
Reacting on Monday via a post on its official X account, Amnesty International condemned the barbaric and unlawful abduction and humiliation of the movie producer.
“The palace of the Oba of Benin where he was dragged to in utter disregard for human dignity and the rule of law must distance itself from such bizarre impunity,” Amnesty said.
“What happened to Mr. Obaseki is unlawful and shows complete disdain for due process. The Nigerian police 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.”
Meanwhile, the Nollywood filmmaker and former Managing Director of Daar Communications, had earlier narrated his ordeal in the hands of his alleged abductors.
Explaining his traumatic experience in detail, Obaseki who is a cousin to the former Governor of Edo State Godwin Obaseki, said: “Today at about 11–11:30, while playing football with my football mates at UBA Primary School in Benin, the place was attacked by assailants.
“I was physically abducted, basically kidnapped. Some of them were holding guns and some of them were non-folks. I have their names.
“They hogged me through the streets of Benin under the guise that they had been sent to come and abduct me by the palace of the Oba of Benin.
“I begged them to show me some form of ID. I was dragged, beaten severely, manhandled, and dragged through the streets up to where I was stripped naked and taken into the palace of the Oba of Benin, where I was made to kneel in public.”
Speaking further, Obaseki said: “I have never been so humiliated because I am who I am, because of my nativity. I have served my culture. I don’t know what to say. I was later released and taken to the police station, where the Commissioner of Police came within two hours.
“He came to see me three times before he ordered my release from the police station at Oba Market. From the chiefs I met at the palace, it was clear they did not send these people on this mission.”
The nollywood producer, however, gave a likely reason for the attack, linking it to a cultural misunderstanding, saying: “I am traumatised. And I heard that my sin was that I went to London and made a public statement that ‘May Edo people live long and prosper.’ That I should have said, ‘May the Oba live long and prosper.’
“That my saying ‘may Edo people live long and prosper’ is a cardinal sin in Benin, for me who have elevated the culture of the Benin race in my 35 to 40 years as the pioneer of the present.”
