The Delta State Police Command has apprehended five individuals, including the community leader and main organiser of the Ozoro festival, over the alleged sexual assault of women during the yearly celebration in the state.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, revealed this in a post on X on Friday, naming the community head and chief organiser as Chief Omorede Sunday, along with four other suspects from the Oramudu quarters in Ozoro.
According to Edafe, the Commissioner of Police, Aina Adesola, has directed that the suspects be immediately transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.
“The community head and chief organiser of the event, one chief Omorede Sunday and four other suspects from Oramudu quarters in Ozoro have been arrested. The CP has ordered that they should be transferred to State CID with immediate effect. The CP vows that anyone involved will be arrested and brought to justice,” he wrote.
The arrests followed shortly after Adesola ordered a comprehensive probe into the incident, which gained attention after videos circulated online showing groups of young men allegedly assaulting women at the festival, tearing their clothes and subjecting them to different forms of molestation.
The incident is said to have taken place on Thursday, March 19, during the annual festival, where women are reportedly expected to stay indoors, and any woman seen outside is exposed to harassment.
Some reports also claimed that certain victims may have been raped, although these allegations had not been officially verified at the time of reporting.
Edafe had earlier described the incident as “alarming, disgusting and embarrassing,” adding that the command condemned it “in totality.”
“No custom or tradition is superior to the rights of citizens,” he said, while encouraging witnesses with relevant information to come forward.
The Delta State Government also denounced the incident, with the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, calling the acts barbaric and unacceptable.
“We are calling on the police and other security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of these heinous acts and bring them to justice. No individual or group should be allowed to hide under the guise of a festival to perpetrate criminal activities,” Aniagwu said.
He further advised community leaders and festival organisers across the state to implement proper security measures to protect participants and avoid a repeat of such incidents.
The government reiterated its zero tolerance for gender-based violence, warning that anyone found guilty would face the full weight of the law.
The incident triggered widespread outrage on X, where users used the hashtag “Stop Raping Women” while demanding swift justice.
One user, Moyosoreoluwa, questioned the government’s response: “Stop raping women!!!! What is the delta state government even doing about this? How long has this been going on in Ozoro, Delta State??”
Another user, Nze, wrote: “Some cultures need to die, and if your culture is tampering on human rights, it needs to die! If your culture tells you that there are days meant to rape and molest women, then that culture must die!”
