The Benin Traditional Council has formally dissociated the Oba of Benin from the recent assault on Pedro Obaseki, describing the incident as unauthorised and contrary to the character and values of the revered monarch.
In a public announcement issued from the Oba Palace in Benin City and dated December 31, 2025, the Council stated that the manhandling of Obaseki did not receive the approval of the Oba of Benin and could not have been sanctioned under any circumstance.
“The unfortunate incidence in which Pedro Obaseki was manhandled was not authorized by the Oba of Benin. And it cannot be authorized because it is not in the character of our revered monarch to do so,” the statement read.
The Council emphasised that the Oba of Benin is widely regarded as a peace-loving father figure to all, underscoring the Palace’s commitment to harmony, restraint, and lawful conduct within the Benin Kingdom.
Beyond distancing the Palace from the incident, the Benin Traditional Council issued a broader appeal to youths, warning against taking the law into their own hands regardless of provocation. It urged citizens to respect the laws of the land in both actions and utterances, and to allow appropriate security agencies to handle disputes and breaches of peace.
The statement also addressed the role of social media in amplifying tensions, advising users to cross-check information carefully before posting or sharing content online, particularly on sensitive matters involving traditional institutions and public order.
The announcement concluded with New Year goodwill messages from His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, CFR, Oba of Benin, wishing the public a happy New Year and reaffirming the Palace’s commitment to peace and stability.
The statement was signed by Frank Irabor, Secretary of the Benin Traditional Council.
The MOWAA Dispute and the Political Undercurrents
The assault on Don Pedro Obaseki has inevitably revived memories of the earlier controversy surrounding the aborted public opening of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), when armed youths disrupted events at what was billed as one of Africa’s most ambitious cultural institutions. That episode, widely condemned as an international embarrassment, was rooted in disputes over cultural authority, ownership of the Benin Bronzes, and the role of independent institutions versus traditional control. Although the Palace denied direct involvement, critics argued that the use of street-level force reinforced fears of extra-legal enforcement around sensitive cultural and political questions in Edo State.
Both incidents intersect with the long-running political and personal rupture between the Oba of Benin and former Edo State governor Godwin Obaseki. Obaseki championed MOWAA as part of a technocratic, globally networked vision for Benin City, a stance that brought him into conflict with palace interests over cultural oversight and restitution politics.
Against that backdrop, the public manhandling of his brother, Don Pedro Obaseki, has been interpreted by many observers as part of a wider pattern in which unresolved disputes between political authority and traditional power spill into the public space—heightening tensions and complicating efforts by the Palace to project neutrality and restraint.
A public affairs commentator said about the statement from Benin Traditional Council, “He could not bring himself to condemn the attack and offer support to the victim. Could not bring himself to call for the arrest and prosecution of the disavowed thugs. Shame”.