Angry youths claiming to be acting on behalf of the Benin Traditional Council have seized, stripped, and assaulted a Nigerian actor, Dr Don Pedro Obaseki, accusing him of being an “Oghionoba”, a term translated as an enemy of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II.
Pedro Obaseki was dragged to the Benin Kingdom Palace by a group of Benin youths over claims of recent activities and remarks they described as disrespectful to the Oba.
Sources said the incident followed Pedro Obaseki’s recent attendance at a meet-and-greet event in London organised in honour of his cousin, former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, who they also labelled “Oghionoba.”
In a viral video seen by SaharaReporters, the actor was stripped to his boxers, forced to kneel, and made to walk on his knees within the palace premises.
He was subsequently taken before individuals dressed in white attire and adorned with beads, believed to be palace chiefs or officials, who escorted him into the palace while the mob remained outside.
The conflict gained significant public attention around 2021 and escalated until the end of Obaseki’s tenure in 2024.
The most public flashpoint was the repatriation of thousands of artifacts (the Benin Bronzes) looted by British forces in 1897.
The Oba maintained that the artifacts were stolen from the Palace and should return to the Palace. He advocated for a Benin Royal Museum to be built within the Palace grounds.
However, the then-governor proposed the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), managed by a private entity called the Legacy Restoration Trust. He envisioned this as part of a broader cultural district to boost tourism.
In 2023, the Federal Government of Nigeria stepped in and officially recognized the Oba of Benin as the legal owner and custodian of all repatriated artifacts, effectively siding with the Palace and dealing a blow to Obaseki’s plan.
Also, a major administrative clash occurred when several Enigie (traditional dukes) in Edo South requested the state government to create new, independent traditional councils.
The Palace saw this as a “divide and rule” tactic by Obaseki to “balkanize” the Benin Kingdom and weaken the Oba’s central authority.https://web.facebook.com/reel/1548648543023127 Displaying
When the Oba suspended some of these dukes for “rebellion,” they took the Oba to court, an act considered an abomination by many Bini people. Critics of the governor alleged he was funding and encouraging these legal challenges against the monarch.
Following his exit from office, the Palace alleged that Obaseki withheld statutory monthly allocations to the Benin Traditional Council for seven months.
It also alleged that the state government revoked the concession of the Oba Akenzua II Cultural Centre, which the Palace intended to use for artifact storage, and reportedly converted parts of it into a motor park.
Since the inauguration of the new governor, Monday Okpebholo, the relationship between the Edo State Government and the Palace has shifted dramatically.
The Oba has publicly expressed relief at the change in administration, while the new government has moved to restore the Palace’s statutory entitlements and distance itself from Obaseki’s museum projects.
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