The Delta State Police Command has dismissed widespread claims that the controversial Alue-Do Festival in Ozoro was a “rape festival,” insisting that no formal reports of rape have been filed in connection with the March 19 incident.
Police spokesperson Bright Edafe, speaking on Television Continental’s Your View programme on Monday, acknowledged that videos circulating online showed women being assaulted but stressed that investigations so far had not uncovered evidence of rape.
“As of now, the information available to us shows that nobody was raped.
“While some may argue that victims could be afraid to come forward, experience has shown that, over time, victims and their families do speak out,” Edafe said.
He explained that heightened awareness in Delta State has encouraged more survivors of sexual violence to report cases, helping law enforcement pursue offenders.
The police, he added, are relying on witness accounts and video footage to guide their investigation.
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Sixteen suspects, including community leaders, are currently in custody and that charges could extend beyond direct assault to include negligence in preventing disorder.
“The head of the community, the chief priest of Oramutu Quarters, and other elders involved in organising the festival are in custody along with other suspects. Everyone found culpable will be held accountable,” he said.
Rejecting the notion of a “rape festival,” Edafe stressed that criminality must not be confused with culture. “There is no such thing as a ‘rape festival’ in Delta State. Those responsible are hoodlums who acted on their own and will be treated as criminals,” he said.
Recall that the incident sparked outrage nationwide after viral clips showed groups of men harassing women in broad daylight.
Similarly, Asiafa Berkeley, President-General of the Ozoro Progress Union, also denounced the behaviour in a separate interview on Channels Television.
Berkeley insisted the festival is traditionally a prayer ritual, particularly for women seeking fertility, and not linked to s£xual violence.
“This has never happened in Ozoro. No one authorised those youths to carry out such acts,” Berkeley said.