What was meant to be a harmless Sunday kick-about in Benin City turned into a dramatic script no playwright would willingly pen.
Renowned playwright, producer, and director, Don Pedro Obaseki, cousin to former Edo State governor Godwin Obaseki, reportedly found himself on the wrong side of tradition after he was accosted, beaten, and stripped half-naked by suspected thugs in the Edo State capital.
The incident occurred on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at Uwa Primary School, where Obaseki had gone to play football, but ended up playing a far more intense role: suspect.
According to reports, a group of Ogbe boys, allegedly led by one Capuepue Adun, confronted him over claims that he had shown disrespect to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II. His alleged offence? A supposed comment made at a “Meet and Greet” in London, where he reportedly signed off the traditional greeting “Oba ghatokpe’e” with “Edo ghatokpe’e instead.” It turned out to be a linguistic experiment that, sadly, did not sit well back home.
What followed looked less like a cultural correction and more like a public theatre production. Videos circulating online captured Obaseki being assaulted, marched towards the palace, and made to crawl on his knees from the gate inward, chanting “Oba ghatokpe’e”, hands raised, humility on full display.
Just when the scene threatened to spiral further, palace chiefs stepped in, intercepting both the thugs and their “guest.” Speaking in Bini, they announced that the Oba was on his way to the Holy Arousa Church for a thanksgiving service marking the end of the Igue Festival — and that there would be no room for chaos on a day meant for gratitude.
With a warning that tradition has its own way of settling scores, the chiefs took Obaseki inside the palace despite protests, reportedly so he could tender an apology to the revered monarch.
In Benin, it seems, football boots can quickly turn into sackcloth, and when culture blows the whistle, everyone listens.