A Nigerian secret police agency has brought the first charges against a suspect in the highly publicised assault and humiliation of veteran broadcaster Dr Don Pedro Obaseki, an incident that sparked national and international outrage late last year.
An Edo State High Court in Benin City on Thursday granted bail to Osaze Adun, popularly known as “Kapuepue,” who is accused of taking part in the December attack.
The Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria’s secret police, had filed an ex parte motion seeking to detain Adun for 14 days while they awaited legal advice from the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Presiding over the case on February 12, 2026, Justice R. A. Ogbevoen denied the DSS’s request for remand. Instead, the judge admitted Adun to bail in the sum of N5 million (approximately $3,300 USD) with one surety in the same amount.
The court imposed strict conditions on the defendant’s release, ruling that the surety must be a civil servant of at least Grade Level 12 and reside within the court’s jurisdiction.
Adun is also required to appear before the court on the last Friday of every month to sign the register until the DPP issues its final legal advice on the matter.
The defendant’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Olayiwola Afolabi and supported by Collins Ogiegbaen and five other counsel, successfully argued that the alleged offence is bailable and that their client was entitled to his fundamental human rights to liberty.
The Impact of the Assault on Don Pedro Obaseki
The case stems from a disturbing incident on December 28, 2025, that drew widespread condemnation from human rights groups and professional bodies.
Dr Pedro Obaseki, a former Managing Director of DAAR Communications (parent company of Africa Independent Television) and a cousin to former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, was attacked while playing football with friends at the Uwa Primary School field in Benin City.
According to eyewitness accounts and a statement from Obaseki’s legal team led by renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), the victim was “beaten, intimidated and forcefully taken away in what eyewitnesses described as a commando-style operation”.
Obaseki himself recounted being stripped naked and paraded through the streets before being taken to the palace of the Oba of Benin, where he was forced to kneel publicly.
The assailants allegedly claimed they were acting on the orders of the palace, reportedly angered by a speech Obaseki delivered in London, where he wished “Edo people long life and prosperity” rather than specifically invoking the Oba’s name.”
The seriousness with which authorities are treating the matter was underscored when Femi Falana (SAN) disclosed that the DSS headquarters in Abuja had formally taken over the investigation from local police.
Falana described the DSS’s decision to classify the case as “terrorism-related” as “commendable,” noting that it reflected “the nature, gravity and implications of the acts complained of.
The legal team has also initiated civil proceedings before Nigerian courts and has submitted petitions to international and regional bodies, including the ECOWAS Court of Justice and United Nations human rights mechanisms, to ensure “transparency, preservation of evidence and adherence to Nigeria’s international obligations”.
The attack drew sharp criticism from global human rights organisations. Amnesty International condemned the “barbaric and unlawful abduction and humiliation” of Obaseki, stating that the incident was “unacceptable in a free society” and “prohibited under international human rights law”.
Local professional bodies, including the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), denounced the act as “a full-scale assault on free speech and democracy” and an affront to the creative community.
Following his release from police custody in December, Obaseki vowed to pursue justice, stating he would initiate both civil and criminal proceedings against all involved, insisting, “Everybody that beat me will pay”.
