The NHRC described the sexual assault incident in Delta State as "unacceptable and the height of barbarism in the modern world."
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday condemned the reported sexual assaults against women during the Alue-Do festival in Ozoro, Delta State. It also called for the prosecution of the perpetrators.
In a press statement, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, described the incident as "unacceptable and the height of barbarism in the modern world."
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"Any cultural practices that promote or tolerate sexual harassment are contrary to natural justice, equity, and good conscience, and therefore unacceptable in a modern democratic society."
Mr Ojukwu, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said there is "the need to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators and enablers of these acts, including festival organizers, traditional authorities, and any accomplices."
The assault
Videos of the Alue-Do cultural festival began circulating on social media last Thursday.
The videos circulated on social media showed men harassing and attacking women who were seen outside during the festival.
Reports indicate that several women who were outdoors during the event, reportedly held on last Thursday, were targeted for harassment. There are also unverified claims that some victims may have been raped.
This generated widespread criticism and was dubbed a bizarre "rape festival".
Mr Ojukwu described the act as a violation of the right to dignity and freedom of movement.
He reiterated that "cultural festivals and traditional practices must be conducted in strict compliance with existing laws, including the Anti-Torture Act, 2017 and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, both of which prohibit acts that degrade, abuse, or harm individuals, especially women and girls," or else be abolished.
Mr Ojukwu reminded Nigerians that the country is bound by the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Maputo Protocol, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which speaks against the violation of women's rights.
He called for the prosecution of the organisers and perpetrators of the incident.
On Friday, the police in Delta State disclosed the arrest of six suspects involved in the bizarre festival where women are publicly gang-raped by men. Bright Edafe, the police spokesperson in Delta, named a local chief, Omorede Sunday, as the festival organiser.'
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He said the chief and another suspect, the community head, have been arrested alongside four others. Despite the allegations, Mr Edafe said the police have yet to receive any formal reports of rape linked to the festival.
While commending the police for arresting suspects, Mr Ojukwu lamented that the incident scores "a sour point in Nigeria's collective conscience and a painful setback in the ongoing efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence across the country."
This recent incident adds to the growing list of cases that have ignited national discourse on abuses against women in the country.
Earlier this month, the police arrested a pastor and his wife over the alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
In 2025, Nigeria witnessed incidents of rape, especially against minors. However, this particular "rape festival" adds a cultural layer to this tragic reality.
