The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called for immediate prosecution of those responsible for the alleged sexual assault and public humiliation of women during a festival in Ozoro, Delta State, warning that the incident reflects a deeper breakdown of societal values and respect for human dignity.
In a statement on Saturday and jointly signed by NBA President, Afam Osigwe, and Chairperson of the NBA Women’s Forum, Huwaila Muhammad, the association described the episode as a “national disgrace” and a “collapse of conscience.”
“A society reveals its true character in how it treats its women. Where women are chased, stripped, groped, violated, and publicly humiliated by mobs under the guise of celebration, what is on display is not culture. It is barbarity. It is a collapse of conscience. It is a stain on our shared humanity,” the statement read.
The association said disturbing reports and viral videos from the ‘Alue-Do’ festival held on Thursday, March 19, showed women being “accosted in broad daylight, forcefully stripped of their clothing, sexually assaulted, and subjected to degrading treatment by groups of young men while others watched, recorded, and, in some instances, cheered.”
“No woman should ever have to endure such terror, such exposure, such violation of her dignity,” the NBA added.
Raising legal concerns, the body stressed that the incident was “not a festival but lawlessness,” describing the acts as “gender-based violence in its most primitive and shameful form” and a “grave violation of the fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, and security as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), as well as other international human rights instruments.”
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It further noted that the actions constitute “serious criminal offences under our laws, including assault, sexual violence, and public indecency.”
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The NBA rejected any cultural justification for the acts, stating unequivocally: “No tradition, no custom, no so-called cultural practice can excuse or legitimise the degradation and violation of women. Any practice that permits such cruelty is not culture. It is criminality.”
Calling for accountability, the association urged the Delta State Government and security agencies to “act swiftly and decisively. The perpetrators must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted. Those who aided, enabled, or failed to intervene must also be held accountable. Justice must not be delayed, and it must not be selective.”
Warning against inaction, the NBA said “silence, indifference, or excuses in the face of such brutality only embolden further abuse,” while urging community leaders and festival organisers to ensure that “cultural celebrations must never become theatres of violence. They must reflect dignity, order, and respect for human life, not chaos and cruelty.”
Reinforcing its stance, the association declared: “The protection of women is not optional. It is a legal duty. It is a moral obligation. It is a test of who we are as a people. Nigeria must not become a place where women live in fear of being stripped of both their clothing and their dignity in public spaces.”
“This must never happen again!” the statement concluded.
The reaction followed widespread circulation of videos on Friday showing young women allegedly attacked and molested by youths during the controversial festival, triggering national condemnation.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force confirmed the arrest of a community leader and several suspects in connection with the incident, adding that a full-scale investigation is underway and assuring that all those involved would be brought to justice.
