The Delta State Police Command has arrested five people, including the community head and chief organiser of the Ozoro festival, over the alleged s£xual assault of women during the annual event in the state.
Police spokesman Bright Edafe said the suspects include Chief Omorede Sunday and four others from Oramudu quarters in Ozoro.
In a statement posted on X on Friday, Edafe said the Commissioner of Police, Aina Adesola, had ordered their immediate transfer to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
According to the police, the arrests followed the circulation of videos online showing groups of young men allegedly harassing women during the festival, including tearing their clothes and subjecting them to molestation.
The incident was reported to have occurred on Thursday, 19 March, during celebrations in Ozoro.
Accounts from the community suggested that women were expected to remain indoors during the festival, with those found outside becoming targets for harassment.
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Claims that some victims may have been raped had not been officially confirmed at the time of reporting.
Edafe said the police had launched a full investigation and warned that anyone found to be involved would be arrested and prosecuted.
He added that no custom or tradition overrides the rights of citizens, urging witnesses to provide information to investigators.
Reacting, the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, described the acts as barbaric and unacceptable, and called on security agencies to identify and prosecute all those responsible.
Aniagwu urged community leaders and festival organisers across the state to put adequate security measures in place to protect residents and participants.
He warned that cultural events must not be used as cover for criminal behaviour, while reiterating the government's zero tolerance for gender-based violence.
The case has attracted widespread backlash on social media, with users demanding swift justice and questioning how such abuses were allowed to persist during a public festival.