The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned the alleged sexual assault of women at the Ozoro Festival in Delta State, urging the government and law enforcement agencies to act swiftly to apprehend and prosecute all perpetrators.
In a statement jointly signed by the NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, and the Chairperson of the NBA Women Forum, Huwaila Muhammad, the Association asserted that 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 NBA said.
The Association noted that the acts were not just troubling, but horrifying.
“Women were allegedly 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.”
The NBA stated that no woman should ever have to endure such terror, exposure, or violation of her dignity, stressing that the event was not a festival but an act of lawlessness.
“This was gender-based violence in its most primitive and shameful form. These acts amount to 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.
“They also constitute serious criminal offences under our laws, including assault, sexual violence, and public indecency. The NBA condemns these acts in the strongest possible terms. 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.
“We call on the Delta State Government and all relevant law enforcement 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.”
The Association argued that silence, indifference, or excuses in the face of such brutality only embolden further abuse, and called on community leaders, traditional institutions, and festival organisers to take urgent responsibility.
The NBA emphasised that cultural celebrations must never become theatres of violence, but should reflect dignity, order, and respect for human life, not chaos and cruelty.
It further explained that the protection of women is not optional, but a legal duty and moral obligation, maintaining that it reflects the values of society.
“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 added.
