Veteran Nigerian filmmaker Don Pedro Obaseki has recounted a traumatic ordeal in which he was violently assaulted, stripped naked, and paraded by a group of youths who accused him of disrespecting the Oba of Benin.
In an interview with AIT, Obaseki detailed how he was accosted while playing football. The assailants claimed they had been sent by the royal palace to bring him before the Oba for alleged disrespect. He described being dragged through the streets, stripped of his clothes, and taken to the palace before eventually being escorted to a police station, where he was later released on the directive of the state Commissioner of Police.
Obaseki stated that the attack was triggered by a comment he made during a recent speech in London. According to him, the youths cited his use of the phrase "May Edo people live long and prosper" instead of the traditional salute "May the Oba live long and prosper." He emphasized that palace chiefs appeared shocked by the incident, indicating the attack was not sanctioned by the royal household.
The filmmaker expressed feeling deeply distraught and traumatized by the violent public humiliation, which highlights ongoing tensions between cultural reverence, freedom of expression, and vigilantism in some Nigerian communities.
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