No girl don come out say dem rape am – Police update on 'Ozoro festival'

Police for Delta State southern Nigeria say dem don arrest 15 pipo ontop allegations of rape and sexual assault na afta one community festival.

Videos bin spread online wey show young men dey openly attack women wey dey on dia own.

Di videos wey come out from di Alue‑Do festival for Ozoro, Isoko North Local Govment Area - show how groups of young men dey pursue, strip, grab and assault women for public spaces, and for some cases while pipo wey dey record wetin dey happun.

Di videos make pipo vex sotay dem start hashtags #StopRapingWomen wey dey trend for social platforms and renew calls for accountability for gender‑based violence.

Meanwhile, di tok-tok pesin for di Delta State police command tok say so far, dem neva confam any incident of rape.

Bright Edafe wen e dey tok for local media on Monday say "we don tok to four girls and all of dem tok say nobody rape dem."

Di Delta State Police Command describe di scenes as "alarming, disgusting and embarrassing", and tok say dem don arrest some suspects wey dem identify from di videos and transfer dem to di State Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Among di pipo dem detain na one community leader, wey plenty pipo name as di organiser wey dey linked to di event.

Police say dem still dey torchlight di mata.

Di incident don also generate plenty reactions. Some witnesses, activists and residents allege say dem bin warn women say make dom no come out during parts of di festival and say na those wey dem see outside na im bin dey deliberately target.

But dis dey raise concerns say sexual violence bin dey organised or tolerated under di cover of tradition.

Rights groups don also argue say even wia di legal definition of rape dey contested, di documented acts - including forced stripping, grabbing and public humiliation - constitute serious gender‑based violence under Nigerian law.

First Lady of Nigeria condem di alleged attacks on women

Wife of Nigeria president, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, wey partly come from Delta state, don condemn di incident, and tell security agencies to ensure say all di perpetrators face di full weight of di law.

For statement wey she personally sign, she say no culture or custom justify violating di dignity or freedom of women and girls.

As she commend di police for di arrests dem don already make, she encourage di victims to seek medical and psychological support.

Wetin many neva argye be say dem publicly assault women during di festival period, and di acts dey criminal, and formal investigations now dey go on.

'E must neva happun again' - NBA

Nigeria highest legal body, di Nigerian Bar Association condemn di tins wey happun for di 'Ozoro festival'.

For statement wey di NBA president, Afam Osigwe and Chairpesin NBA Women Forum, Huwaila Muhammad sign, dem say, "no tradition, no custom, no so-called cultural practice fit excuse or legitimise di degradation and violation of women. Any practice wey permit such cruelty no be culture. Na criminality."

Dem also call on di Delta State govment and all relevant law enforcement agencies to act quick-quick to identify, arrest and prosecute di perpetrators including doz wey aid, enable, or fail to intervene for di mata.

Dem call on community leaders, traditional institutions, and festival organisers to take urgent responsibility to make sure say cultural celebrations no go eva become theatres of violence.

"Di protection of women no dey optional. Na legal duty. Na moral obligation. Na test of who we be as a pipo. Nigeria must not become place wia women go dey live in fear say dem fit dey stripped of both dia clothing and dia dignity for public spaces."

‘Di festival no dey promote sexual violence’ - Ozoro King

However, di King of Ozoro Kingdom HRM Anthony Uvietobore Ogbogbo (JP), Ibuka 1, don reject claims say di festival dey promote or permit sexual assault.

E describe Alue‑Do as a fertility‑related cultural ceremony wey di practices dey "misinterpreted and abused by some youths".

Traditional authorities insist say no rape happun, claiming instead say na two women wey bin dey harassed, come stress say such behaviour dey criminal, not cultural.

Di Delta State govment also say no recognised cultural festival for di state dey allow sexual assault.

Dem add say any acts of violence go dey treated strictly as criminal offences, no be tradition.