Horror: Women stripped, sexually assaulted during Delta festival

Delta map

Outrage has trailed the sexual assault of several women and female students during a traditional festival in Ozoro, headquarters of Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The victims were attacked by youths during the controversial ‘Alue-Do’ festival held on Thursday, March 19.

Videos of the incident, which surfaced on social media on Friday, showed young women being chased, stripped and molested in broad daylight, sparking widespread condemnation across the country.

In one of the widely shared clips, a young lady seated on a motorcycle was dragged to the ground by some youths, who assaulted and tore her clothes.

Another video showed a young woman fleeing as her attackers pulled her dress, leaving her exposed, while a separate clip captured a victim struggling to shield herself from a mob.

However, the exact number of those affected could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.

Residents said the festival, described as a fertility rite, aimed at invoking blessings of children for couples experiencing difficulty with childbirth, held periodically in the community.

It involves controversial cultural practices, including restrictions on women’s movement during certain hours.

According to locals, any woman found outdoors during the restricted period risks being targeted for harassment by men.

We locked ourselves in – Residents

A female resident, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said there was an announcement for women not to go out on Thursday, when the ritual started.

She said, “The organisers of the festival announced its commencement and warned that no woman should go out.”