By Ozioruva Aliu
BENIN CITY — Media entrepreneur Dr. Pedro Obaseki has vowed to pursue legal action following his alleged assault on Sunday, as the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Senate Chief Whip, Sir Rowland Owie, strongly condemned the incident.
Speaking to Vanguard on Monday, Obaseki said although he abhors violence and does not wish to escalate tensions in the Benin Kingdom, he is determined to seek justice through lawful means.
“Yes, I am definitely pursuing this to its logical legal conclusion. Everybody that beat me will pay. Those that arrested and accosted me will pay. Those that sent them, no matter how highly placed, will pay,” he said.
He added that he intends to file both civil and criminal charges against those involved but stressed that he does not want any destruction of property or retaliatory violence.
“I just don’t want any vandalisation of people’s property or any dastardly action. I will handle this legally,” Obaseki stated.
In a related development, the Edo State chapter of the PDP condemned the attack, describing it as a violation of Obaseki’s fundamental human rights.
In a statement issued by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Dan Osa-Ogbegie, Esq., the PDP urged security agencies to immediately apprehend and prosecute those responsible.
“This incident must be situated within a wider and deeply disturbing pattern,” the statement read. “Over the past year, Edo State has witnessed an alarming descent into lawlessness, street violence, intimidation, and the normalisation of mob action, largely driven by politically protected thugs masquerading as party loyalists.”
The party warned that assaults going unpunished and perpetrators being shielded pose grave dangers to democracy and public order in the state.
Also reacting, former Senate Chief Whip Sir Rowland Owie described the attack as “barbaric, unconscionable, and utterly incompatible with a civilised society governed by law.”
“What transpired on Sunday is not merely an assault on one individual; it is an assault on the rule of law itself,” Owie said. “It is symptomatic of a deeply troubling descent into lawlessness and impunity and a warning sign of a dangerous slide towards Hobbesian anarchy if left unchecked.”
Owie called on the Inspector-General of Police to ensure the immediate arrest, thorough investigation, and prosecution of all those involved, stressing that decisive action is necessary to reassure citizens that the state has not been surrendered to criminal elements.
He also expressed sympathy to Obaseki and his family, urging him to remain steadfast and drawing inspiration from Psalm 37:1–2.
Owie further appealed to Edo citizens, civil society groups, and community leaders to speak out against violence and resist attempts to destabilise the state through fear and intimidation.
Reacting to the PDP’s position, the Acting State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Don Ofure Osehobo, dismissed the opposition party’s claims, accusing it of politicising the incident.
According to Osehobo, the PDP’s reaction stems from discomfort over the dismantling of what he described as an era of tolerated disorder.
“Instead of supporting lawful investigation into the Pedro Obaseki incident, the PDP chose to inflame emotions and disrespect institutions in its reckless pursuit of headlines,” he said.
He maintained that the APC condemns violence in all forms and assured that the incident is under investigation without interference.
“Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration will not shield anyone found culpable. Edo State will not return to the PDP’s dark days of tolerated lawlessness,” Osehobo added.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Edo State, ASP Eno Ikoedem, confirmed that the command is aware of the incident and has ordered a full investigation.
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