Alltimepost.com Sincerity of Purpose
Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki on Tuesday declared that he has forgiven those who assaulted him on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at Uwa Primary School, Benin, bringing a dramatic turn to an incident that stirred outrage across Edo State.
Obaseki was reportedly attacked by a group of thugs allegedly led by Osaze Adun, popularly known as Kapuepue, while he had gone to play football at the school premises.
He was beaten, stripped naked and forced to trek several kilometres to the Palace of the Oba of Benin.
Speaking when the assailants visited his Benin residence to plead for forgiveness, Obaseki said although the incident left him deeply traumatized, he had resolved to let go after appeals from family members, associates and other stakeholders.
“Everybody is aware of the events of December 28, and it is almost four months now. Myself and my children were very pained, but there is a proverb in Benin that only the leopard’s cub can lick the leopard’s underside,” he said.
He added, “I am an Edo man, I am an Obaseki, and I want to use this as an affirmation that we are not enemies of the Edo people. That is the only validation I need.”
Obaseki, who described the attack as harrowing, recounted the physical and emotional toll it took on him.
“I was angry, very angry and bitter. I was traumatised and sick. When you beat a 60-year-old man on the streets and make him walk almost two and a half to three kilometres after playing 90 minutes of football, it is only by the grace of God,” he said.
Despite the ordeal, he said he chose the path of reconciliation in deference to his family and cultural values.
“I did this as a mark of respect to my father, my uncles and my lineage. To err is human, to forgive is divine.
“I am not a polarising figure. I can walk into any political party, APC, PDP or ADC, and I do not bother. I sacrifice my party-ness for my Edo-ness. Edo is paramount to me,” he stated.
Obaseki further expressed relief that those who once branded him an enemy of the Palace had publicly renounced such claims and sought forgiveness.
He, however, warned against any recurrence of such acts, insisting that the perpetrators must undertake never to engage in violence again.
“I have decided to let sleeping dogs lie, but they must give an undertaking that this will never happen again. If it does, I will not forgive,” he cautioned.
The former gubernatorial aspirant also disclosed plans to establish a non-governmental organisation aimed at combating assault and intimidation of citizens in the state.
In his response, Osaze Adun admitted wrongdoing and tendered an apology, pledging that such an incident would not happen again.
He acknowledged that they had come to realise that Obaseki had been working in the interest of the Benin nation and was not an enemy of the Palace, as previously alleged.
