NBA Demands Justice Over Alleged Sexual Violence At Delta Festival

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned the alleged sexual violence and public humiliation of women during a recent cultural festival in Ozoro, Delta State, describing the incident as a “collapse of conscience” and a grave assault on human dignity.

In a statement jointly signed by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, and the Chairperson of the NBA Women Forum, Huwaila Muhammad, the association said the reported acts—where women were allegedly chased, stripped, groped, and assaulted in public—represent a disturbing descent into lawlessness.

“A society reveals its true character in how it treats its women,” the NBA said.

“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 association described reports from the Ozoro festival as “deeply disturbing and horrifying,” alleging that women were accosted in broad daylight, forcefully stripped of their clothing, and subjected to sexual assault and degrading treatment by groups of young men while bystanders watched, recorded, and, in some cases, cheered.

“No woman should ever have to endure such terror, such exposure, such violation of her dignity,” the statement read.

“This was not a festival. This was lawlessness. This was gender-based violence in its most primitive and shameful form,” it said.

Citing legal provisions, the NBA noted that the alleged acts amount to serious violations of the fundamental rights to dignity, personal liberty, and security as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as international human rights instruments to which Nigeria is a signatory.

It added that the conduct described also constitutes criminal offences, including assault, sexual violence, and public indecency.

Condemning the incident unequivocally, the association said, “No tradition, no custom, no so-called cultural practice can excuse or legitimise the degradation and violation of women,” it stated.

It stressed, “Any practice that permits such cruelty is not culture; it is criminality.”

The NBA called on the Delta State Government and relevant law enforcement agencies to act swiftly and decisively by identifying, arresting, and prosecuting those responsible, as well as holding accountable anyone who aided, enabled, or failed to intervene.

“Justice must not be delayed, and it must not be selective,” the statement stressed, emphasising that, “Silence, indifference, or excuses in the face of such brutality only embolden further abuse.”

The body also urged community leaders, traditional institutions, and festival organisers to take urgent responsibility to ensure that cultural events do not become platforms for violence and abuse.

“Cultural celebrations must never become theatres of violence,” the NBA said. “They must reflect dignity, order, and respect for human life, not chaos and cruelty.”

Reaffirming the need to safeguard women’s rights, the association emphasized that, “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,” it said “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.”