Veteran filmmaker Don Pedro Obaseki, a cousin of former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, was reportedly assaulted in Benin City on Saturday, December 28.
A video circulating online shows Obaseki being attacked at Uwa Primary School, where he had gone to play football. The footage also captures him being taken to the Oba of Benin’s palace, where he was reportedly compelled to kneel before some palace chiefs.
According to accounts accompanying the video, the individuals who brought him to the palace allegedly described him to palace guards as an “Oghion,” meaning an enemy of the Oba.
The incident has drawn attention to longstanding tensions between the Benin Palace and the administration of former governor Godwin Obaseki. During his tenure, the ex-governor clashed with the palace after placing a ban on Okaigheles (youth leaders) across the seven local government areas of the Benin Kingdom, citing concerns that their activities contributed to cultism. The palace rejected the ban, maintaining that 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 insisted that the artefacts should be returned directly to the palace, the Obaseki administration proposed housing them at the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), to be managed by a private entity.
As of the time of this report, the specific reason for the attack on Don Pedro Obaseki remains unclear, and there has been no official statement from the palace or security agencies regarding the incident.
Watch video below;
Even though I don’t like Pedro Obaseki for his gutter behaviours most times, it’s completely condemnable to publicly dehumanize him this way.
We must show the world that we are ways above this petty mob actions that’s fast eroding our values
pic.twitter.com/GWYf6u5aYL— Jayjam Adebayo (@HeIsJayjam) December 28, 2025