Ozoro (© 2026 Afriquinfos) – In Nigeria, a case is causing a stir in Delta State and has gained national attention following a Festival dedicated to fertility that turned into a nightmare for many women. Scenes of sexual assaults related to these festivities have been filmed and have gone viral on social media! An investigation has been opened and about fifteen people have been arrested. Many voices have risen demanding justice.
It all started with videos filmed during the ‘Alue-Do’ Fertility Festival in the town of Ozoro (located in Delta State, in southern Nigeria), showing groups of young men chasing, undressing, touching, and assaulting women in public places. Sometimes in front of cameras. Quickly, outraged reactions flooded social media, accompanied by the hashtag ‘#StopRapingWomen’.
The matter was quickly brought to the attention of the country’s top authorities including the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, who responded in a statement denouncing gender-based violence: “No tradition or custom confers any man the right to violate the dignity or freedom of a woman or girl,” she emphasized.
This outcry led to an investigation being opened and the arrest of fifteen people suspected of being the perpetrators of these assaults. The Police spokesperson indicated that several suspects identified in the videos had been arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
According to the traditional authorities of the town of Ozoro, the Alue-Do festival is intended for prayers for participants to conceive. Some periods of the festival are off-limits to single women. During the festivities, these women are supposed to stay indoors. It is this prohibition that individuals described as “ruffians” by local leaders used as a pretext to harass and assault women.
However, these customary authorities refute the information circulating equating the ‘Alue-Do’ festival of Ozoro with a “rape festival,” and maintain that no acts of rape were committed. The Police, on the other hand, indicate that the investigation is ongoing.
Boniface T.
