• Say it is assault on democracy, free speech
Amnesty International has strongly condemned the ‘barbaric and unlawful abduction and humiliation’ of Dr. Pedro Obaseki (Fta), a renowned Nigerian filmmaker, who was attacked and stripped on Sunday by thugs at Uwa Primary School, Benin, where he had gone to play football.
The international agency said what happened to Obaseki is “unlawful and show complete for due process.” The agency said, “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 National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP) also condemned the humiliation and inhuman treatment and demanded the full weight of the law against perpetrators, while, the Confederation of African Audiovisual Professionals CAAP ( The Federation or CAAP ) called on all relevant agencies of government to take urgent and immediate steps to bring the perpetrators to justice.
In a statement signed by Madu C. Chikwendu, Secretary General, CAAP, he said the Federation has carefully reviewed a viral video filmed on Sunday, December 28 in Benin, Edo State Nigeria, “CAAP is particularly disturbed by the allegation that Obaseki was subjected to this treatment because of statements he made in the United Kingdom in support of his cousin, former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki
“Again our technical experts confirmed the authenticity of the second video. The attack on Obaseki is not just a degradation of his person; it is a full scale assault on free speech and democracy. Nothing in Obaseki’s speech contravened any sub national, national or international law.
“Such a barbaric and primitive attack must not go unpunished. Citizens must be discouraged from taking the law into their hands .Under the circumstance the most effective deterrent is punishment.
“Luckily, there is irrefutable and abundant video and audio evidence identifying his attackers and possibly their sponsor(s).
In the strongest possible terms, the disgraceful, dehumanising, and utterly unacceptable humiliation meted out to Obaseki, a respected cultural worker, politician, and intellectual.
“This act represents a gross violation of human dignity, a shameful abuse of power, and an affront to the values of civility, justice, and respect upon which any sane society must stand. No individual—regardless of circumstance—deserves to be subjected to public humiliation, physical or psychological abuse, or treatment that strips them of their humanity.”
According to NANTAP, “Obaseki is not merely an individual; he is a symbol of Nigeria’s creative and intellectual community—a man who has invested all his creative energies into promoting culture. An attack on his dignity is an attack on the entire cultural sector and the nation’s conscience.”
NANTAP, therefore, demanded “an immediate, transparent, and thorough investigation into the incident by the appropriate authorities;“the identification and prosecution of all persons involved, directly or indirectly, in accordance with the full weight of the law.”
The artistes body demanded “public accountability from institutions or agencies found complicit in this inhuman act,” and “concrete assurances that such barbaric conduct will not be tolerated or repeated against any Nigerian citizen.
“That since our country Nigeria is in a constitutional democracy, we demand that the rule of law be adhered to always and in all circumstances.”
