Dr. Pedro Obaseki has instigated a fundamental rights enforcement lawsuit amounting to ₦500 million at the Federal High Court following his purported abduction, assault, and public humiliation within Benin City on December 28, 2025.
A press release from Falana & Falana’s Chambers, representing Obaseki, verified that the Fundamental Rights Enforcement action has been correctly lodged and acknowledged by the Federal High Court concerning the December 28, 2025 incident in Edo State's Benin City.
This lawsuit, founded on Sections 33, 34, 35, and 46 of the amended 1999 Constitution, lists eleven individuals in addition to the State Security Service and the Attorney General of the Federation as respondents.
The statement indicated that "our client asserts that he was forcefully kidnapped while partaking in a recreational activity in Benin City, physically attacked, stripped naked, threatened with death, publically displayed through prominent streets, and held for several hours without proper legal justification."
The court documents further describe how recordings of the incident were disseminated on social media, exacerbating the humiliation, psychological trauma, and enduring harm that he has experienced.
The lawsuit aims to declare that the asserted actions infringed upon his fundamental rights. It requests a court order to prevent any future harassment or intimidation, directives for investigation and prosecution of those involved, a public apology in two national newspapers, and the awarding of ₦500 million (Five Hundred Million Naira) as both general and exemplary damages.
This legal move comes after Obaseki previously recounted the event, stating that he was seized by a group of youths, stripped to his underwear, and paraded through the streets to the Oba’s Palace under claims that he had insulted the Oba of Benin.
He insists that his quest for justice is motivated not by a desire for vengeance, but rather by the need for accountability, deterrence, and the upholding of human dignity.
Obaseki expressed the goal of the lawsuit is to “restore his personal dignity and protect his family,” while simultaneously conveying that no citizen should experience unlawful violence or public humiliation.
During the episode, his captors reportedly announced they were acting on directives from either the Oba of Benin or the palace. However, the Benin Traditional Council has since refuted any involvement, a clarification that Obaseki acknowledged as the official stance.
Falana & Falana's Chambers underscored that “our client has opted for legal recourse, constitutional procedures, and institutional accountability,” asserting that the case not only seeks personal remedy but also aims to reassert the principle that no citizen should endure unlawful violence, public degradation, or detention without repercussions in a democratic state.
Additionally, the chambers confirmed that “the appropriate criminal proceedings stemming from the same events have been initiated via the relevant legal avenues.”
As the legal process progresses, the team has called for caution, requesting that, “we humbly ask the public, media, and all pertinent institutions to permit the judicial process to continue without interference, intimidation, distortion, or extrajudicial pressure.”
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