The Ovie of Ozoro Kingdom, His Royal MajestyAnthony Uvietobore Ogbogbo, Esq, has denied any knowledge of the controversial ‘Alue-Do’ festival during which women and female students were sexually assaulted in broad daylight, revealing during a visit by the National Association of Nigerian Students that nobody informed him or sought his permission before the event was held, and expressing deep embarrassment at the more than 200 videos and photographs of the attacks that he has received.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TheNigerialawyer-WhatsApp-Channel1.jpg")
The monarch’s denial came during an emotionally charged meeting at his palace with a NANS delegation, the Student Union Government President of Southern Delta University, and community leaders — during which it emerged that many victims are refusing to come forward due to stigma, that students could not understand the announcements warning women to stay indoors because they were made in a local language, and that the full extent of the assault may never be known because cameras were not present everywhere.
Meanwhile, despite attempts by some community youths to deny the incident or claim the perpetrators were not indigenes, a young man was captured on video contradicting the denials, stating plainly: “No be rumour, the incident happened.”
In his most detailed public response since the incident, the Ovie addressed the festival organisers directly during the NANS visit, expressing disbelief and anger at what had transpired.
“Did you come to inform me or the President? I have over 200 videos and photos of what happened. Many government officials and traditional rulers have been calling me to understand the situation in my community,” the monarch stated.
View this post on Instagram
He challenged the organisers who were present at the palace, noting that no one had sought permission from the traditional institution before conducting the festival.
“Nobody came to tell me. Nobody tells me at the centre of town, the president, the PC, or any person. And just went celebration and chaos in town,” the Ovie stated.
He was emphatic that in his more than two decades as monarch, he had never witnessed or sanctioned such conduct.
“I’ve been a king for more than 20 years. I have never heard that a festival is celebrated with girls being abused, harassed, and raped in my community all in the name of a festival,” the Ovie declared.
The monarch appeared visibly frustrated when a community elder attempted to explain the festival as a traditional practice, cutting him off and pointing out the gravity of the situation.
“Now you’ve taken a decision to celebrate. And what you are saying is that the rape, the abuse and harassment of the young ladies yesterday was coincidental,” the monarch challenged the organisers.
He warned that the matter had attracted the attention of women’s liberty organisations, human rights organisations, and women’s rights groups, describing it as “a very, very big matter.”
The NANS Zonal Coordinator revealed critical details about how non-indigene students became victims. He disclosed that while some students heard a town crier making announcements, they could not understand the message because it was delivered in a local language, not in English.
“Some of the students said that they heard somebody making an announcement, but they could not understand the language because it was not in English. They don’t understand this at all. They don’t know what they were talking about until it happened,” the NANS official stated.
This revelation highlights the particular vulnerability of students from other parts of the country who reside in Ozoro to attend Southern Delta University but have no knowledge of local customs or languages.
The NANS official emphasised that while the student body respects the traditions of host communities, adequate information must be provided to strangers and visitors who are resident in the kingdom.
“We come from somewhere. We will respect the tradition of every kingdom where we find ourselves as students. But when we have situations like this, it is expected that you know that there are strangers, visitors that are residents in this kingdom,” he stated.
The Student Union Government President of Southern Delta University, Oribelua Precious, made a chilling observation about the potential scale of the assault that may never be fully documented.
After confirming that the delegation visited the hospital where victims were being treated and that the doctor on duty confirmed no penetration had occurred but that molestation took place, Precious raised the question of what happened in areas not captured by cameras.
“We were only hearing from circles. Many victims can’t present themselves to come and talk because of the stigma. Who knows what would have happened in places where there were no cameras. We are only speaking based on what we’ve seen on cameras,” Precious stated.
He added that the incident “says a lot about how negative the mindset of our youth of today is.”
The medical report from the hospital confirmed that while no successful rape occurred in the cases they examined, the victims were molested and physically assaulted. However, Precious noted that attempted rape and physical sexual harassment are “almost equivalent to rape” and cannot be taken lightly.
In the aftermath of the incident, some Ozoro youths attempted to distance the community from the attacks, claiming the perpetrators were not indigenes and describing the reports as rumour.
However, their denial was contradicted by a young man captured on video in the background who stated bluntly: “No be rumour, the incident happened.”
Separate videos circulating on social media showed several women crying out for help after being sexually assaulted by groups of men during what has been described online as the Ozoro “festival.” In one video, a man explained that during the festival period, any girl found outside becomes a target.
The allegations raise grave criminal, constitutional, and human rights issues under Nigerian law.
If the reported conduct involved gang rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, harassment, or forced nudity, the perpetrators may be liable under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 where applicable, or under the relevant Delta State criminal law if the state has domesticated similar protections.
Sexual assault is not excused by custom, festival, or community tradition under Nigerian law. The law treats consent as the central issue, and any non-consensual sexual act is a punishable offence regardless of the cultural context in which it occurs.
From a constitutional standpoint, the reported acts violate the victims’ rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, and freedom from inhuman or degrading treatment under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The Delta State Police Command has arrested the head of Oramudu Quarter, Chief Omorede Sunday, identified as the community head and chief organiser of the event, along with four other suspects. The Commissioner of Police has ordered their transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department.
The Nigerian Bar Association, through President Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN and NBA Women Forum Chairperson Huwaila Muhammad, has issued a joint statement describing the incident as a national disgrace and declaring that any practice that permits such cruelty is not culture but criminality.
The Delta State Government has described the acts as barbaric, the Federal Government through the Minister of Women Affairs has directed the arrest of all suspects, and over 500 women’s rights organisations under the Womanifesto coalition have condemned the incident as organised and institutionalised abuse.
Once the police are notified and an investigation commenced, the matter becomes one for criminal investigation and prosecution — not cultural explanation or community settlement.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR LAWYERS: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
Reimagine your practice with the power of AI “...this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic.” — Ohio Books Ltd
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe, Esq., ACIArb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director, Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
Bonus:
Get a FREE eBook titled “How to Use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion” with every purchase.
How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌐 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access directly online at: https://selar.com/prv626
________________________________________________________________________ The Law And Practice Of Redundancy In Nigeria: A Practitioner’s Guide, Authored By A Labour & Employment Law Expert Bimbo Atilola
_______________________________________________________________________
