By Raphael Okhiria
A former Chief Whip of the Senate and distinguished leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Rowland Owie, has condemned in the strongest possible terms, what he described as “despicable and criminal assault on Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki,” the Chief Executive Officer of Hosamudia Farms, who was on Sunday violently attacked in Benin City by youths suspected to be thugs.
Dr. Obaseki was manhandled, stripped naked, and paraded in a degrading and subhuman manner across parts of the Benin metropolis. Senator Owie described the incident as “barbaric, unconscionable, and utterly incompatible with a civilised society governed by law.”
In a statement personally signed on Sunday in Benin City, Senator Owie said the assault represents one of the gravest manifestations of coordinated, non-state actor–led violence against a lawful citizen, and constitutes a flagrant violation of Dr. Obaseki’s fundamental human rights, including his rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, and freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“What transpired on Sunday,” Senator Owie stated, “is not merely an assault on one individual; it is an assault on the rule of law itself. It is symptomatic of a deeply troubling descent into lawlessness and impunity, and a warning sign of a dangerous slide towards Hobbesian anarchy if left unchecked.”
While expressing grave concern over the implications for public order and civic safety in Edo State, Senator Owie called on the Inspector-General of Police to act without delay by ensuring the immediate apprehension, thorough investigation, and diligent prosecution of all those responsible for the attack.
The former chief whip of the senate, called for a decisive action not only essential for securing justice for the victim but also to send a clear and unequivocal message that Edo State and Nigeria as a whole have not been surrendered to hooligans and criminal elements.
He however extended his heartfelt sympathies to Dr. Obaseki and his family, urging him to take solace in the words of Psalm 37:1–2 which says”Do not fret because of those who are evil… for they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.”
Senator Owie further appealed to all well-meaning Edo citizens, civil society organisations, and community leaders to speak out unequivocally against this barbaric behaviour and to resist all attempts by criminal elements to destabilise the state through fear, violence, and humiliation.
“Silence in the face of such evil,” he warned, “is complicity. The dignity of the Edo people and the integrity of our constitutional order demand collective condemnation and resolute action,” Senator Owie added.