Obaseki, who is a cousin of former Edo State governor Godwin Obaseki, said the incident occurred on Sunday while he was playing football with friends at Uwa Primary School in Benin. According to him, a group of assailants stormed the field and forcefully took him away.
A video that later surfaced online showed Obaseki being beaten, stripped naked and dragged through the streets before being taken to the palace of the Oba of Benin, where he was made to kneel at the gate in public view.
Speaking after his release, Obaseki said he repeatedly asked the attackers to identify themselves but was instead beaten and paraded through major streets in the city. He described the ordeal as deeply traumatic and degrading.
He alleged that some of the attackers were armed and claimed they told him they had been sent by the palace. He said he was dragged as far as Ring Road, stripped, and taken into the palace. “I was made to kneel in full public glare. I’ve never been so humiliated. I am who I am because of my nativity. I’ve served my culture and now I don’t know what to say,” he lamented.
Obaseki said he was later released and taken to a police station on Oba Market Road, where the Commissioner of Police reportedly visited him several times before ordering his release.
He added that from his interactions at the palace, it appeared the Oba of Benin did not authorise the attack. Obaseki claimed he was told the incident was linked to a public statement he made in London, which was allegedly interpreted as a breach of Benin tradition.
Describing himself as traumatised and distraught, Obaseki said the experience was particularly painful given his long-standing contributions to Benin culture and the Nigerian film industry.
