By Ozioruva Aliu
BENIN CITY—THE last may not have been heard of the recent attack on media mogul, Don Pedro Obaseki over an alleged remarks about the Benin monarchy while in Europe as the Department of State Services, DSS, may have formally taken over the investigation into the attack.
Recall that Obaseki was attacked by some persons on December 28, 2025, as he was allegedly forced from where he was playing football with friends and marched through the streets to the palace before he was handed over to the police and subsequently released.
The indication that the DSS had taken over the case was from a statement by Obaseki’s counsel, Femi Falana, SAN, and made available to journalists in Benin City.
Falana said the legal team has also instituted civil proceedings before Nigerian courts and that beyond Nigeria, petitions have been submitted to international and regional bodies, including the ECOWAS Court of Justice, the European Union human-rights mechanisms and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and arbitrary detention.
He disclosed that Dr. Obaseki has had engagements with the DSS in Benin City under the authority of the State Director, adding that “any concerns arising from those interactions, including issues of conduct, handling and procedural integrity, have been formally documented and are now part of the consolidated representations before the appropriate authorities.”
Falana said the way and manner Obaseki was attacked was as an act of terrorism against him.
He said: “Since the occurrence of these grave incidents, formal petitions have been submitted to relevant law-enforcement, security, and oversight authorities within and outside Nigeria.”
These petitions set out credible allegations of terrorism-related conduct, conspiracy, unlawful detention, assault, and obstruction of justice arising from the said events and their aftermath.
“In the course of pursuing accountability, the DSS Headquarters in Abuja has been formally petitioned.
“It is important to place on record that the DSS has now formally assumed conduct of the investigation into this matter. Notably, and commendably, the Service has acceded to treating the complaint as terrorism-related, in recognition of the nature, gravity, and implications of the acts complained of Dr. Obaseki welcomes this development and has continued to cooperate fully with lawful investigative processes.
“Given the cross-cutting human-rights dimensions of the incident, petitions and formal communications have also been lodged with relevant international and regional mechanisms, including the European Union Human Rights Commission, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on matters relating to torture, arbitrary detention, and abuse of power. These steps have been taken to ensure transparency, preservation of evidence, and adherence to Nigeria’s obligations under international human-rights and anti-terrorism frameworks.”
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