Delta fertility festival: No official rape reports yet- Police

The Delta State Police Command has dismissed claims that the controversial Alue-Do festival in Ozoro was a “rape festival”.

The police said no victim has officially reported rape in connection with the incident.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Bright Edafe, disclosed this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

ADVERTISEMENT

“It is important to state clearly that among the four girls that were interviewed yesterday, no one, not one of them, said they were raped. Up till this very moment, we have not had any official reports that anybody was raped,” Edafe said.

He stressed that investigations are guided strictly by evidence and witness statements.

“The law does not work on emotions; the law works on available evidence and statements of witnesses. For the fact that we have not had a witness who says ‘I was raped’, and the evidence does not show that anybody was raped, sexual assault is what we would be investigating,” he added.

Edafe explained that the festival was not designed to promote sexual violence but was originally a traditional rite organised by a chief priest.

“It was not a rape festival. It was a festival organised by a chief priest to pray for barren women seeking the fruit of the womb. That was the intention,” he said.

However, he noted that due process was not followed in organising the event as key authorities were not informed beforehand.

“For reasons best known to them, the traditional ruler of Ozoro Kingdom was not informed, the students’ union was not informed, and the school management was not informed.

“They also did not inform the police. That is why the chief priest is presently in our custody because his negligence has led to this embarrassment and to the sexual assault of these innocent girls,” Edafe stated.

According to the police spokesperson, the festival is said to occur once every three or four years, and this is the first time such controversy has been recorded in Delta State.

He also urged parents and guardians to pay closer attention to their children, noting that safeguarding should not be limited to the girl child alone.

The incident sparked nationwide outrage after videos circulating on social media showed mobs of men harassing and assaulting women in broad daylight, with some users describing the event as a “rape festival”.

Community leaders, however, insisted that the gathering was hijacked by hoodlums who exploited the crowd to perpetrate criminal acts.

The police have since arrested 15 suspects, including the community head and chief organiser of the festival.

The Delta State Government has also condemned the incident, stressing that cultural practices cannot be used to justify criminal behaviour.

Authorities subsequently banned the Alue-Do festival, while the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the Ozoro Kingdom Palace has condemned the acts of violence, harassment and intimidation against women linked to the festival.

The palace described the harassment of women during the event as unacceptable and contrary to the values of the kingdom.

It also distanced itself from claims circulating on social media that such actions were sanctioned, describing them as false and potentially harmful.

While acknowledging the cultural significance of the Alue-Do festival as a fertility rite, the palace emphasised that tradition must never be used to justify abuse or misconduct.