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Arrests After Rapes Reported at Nigeria's Delta Festival

An investigation by the Nigerian police has led to the arrest of 15 suspects following allegations of rape and sexual assault during the Alue-Do festival in Ozoro, Delta State.

There were disturbing videos showing women being chased, stripped, and assaulted in public, which sparked widespread outrage on social media, resulting in the hashtag #StopRapingWomen, and renewed calls for accountability in terms of gender-based violence. Authorities rejected claims that the event was a "rape festival," saying no formal rape cases had been reported.

Police spokesperson Bright Edafe said they had arrested several suspects identified from the videos and transferred them to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), describing scenes in the videos as "alarming, disgusting, and embarrassing".  Witnesses, activists, and residents said women were warned not to go out during parts of the festival, and that those seen outside were deliberately targeted.

Uwe Dedering/Wikimedia Commons

Map showing the location of Delta State in Nigeria.

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