The Delta State Police Command has arrested five persons, including the community head and chief organiser of the Ozoro festival, in connection with the alleged sexual assault of women during the annual event in the state.

The Public Relations Officer of the command, Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a post on X on Friday, identifying the community head and chief organiser as Chief Omorede Sunday, alongside four other suspects from Oramudu quarters in Ozoro.

Edafe said the Commissioner of Police, Aina Adesola, had ordered their immediate transfer 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 came hours after Adesola ordered a full investigation into the incident, following the viral spread of videos showing groups of young men allegedly attacking women during the festival, forcefully tearing their clothes and subjecting them to various forms of molestation.

The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday, March 19, during the annual festival, during which women are allegedly expected to remain indoors, with any woman found outside becoming a target for harassment.

Some accounts alleged that beyond molestation, certain victims may have been raped, though those claims were yet to be officially confirmed as of press time.

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, urging witnesses with useful information to come forward.

The Delta State Government also condemned the acts, with the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, describing them as 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 urged community leaders and organisers of cultural festivals across the state to put in place adequate security measures to safeguard participants and prevent a recurrence.

The government reiterated its zero tolerance for gender-based violence, warning that anyone found culpable would face the full weight of the law.

The incident sparked widespread outrage on X, with users employing the hashtag “Stop Raping Women” and calling for swift justice.

One user, Moyosoreoluwa, questioned the state 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!” (Text, excluding headline: The PUNCH)

Update news