By Clement Abayomi
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on March 21, 2026, condemned reported sexual assaults on women during a festival in Ozoro, describing the incident as a national disgrace and calling for urgent government action in Delta State.
In a statement signed by the NBA President, Mazi Osigwe, and the NBA Women Forum Chairperson, Huwaila Muhammad, the association said the reports from the festival were “deeply disturbing” and “horrifying.”
It stated that women were allegedly attacked during the day, stripped of their clothes, and sexually assaulted by groups of young men while others watched and recorded the acts.
The statement read, “A society reveals its true character in how it treats its women. Where women are chased, stripped, groped, violated, and publicly humiliated… it is not culture. It is barbarity.”
The NBA stressed that the incident was not a cultural event but “lawlessness” and “gender-based violence in its most primitive and shameful form.”
It added that such acts violate the rights to dignity, personal liberty, and security under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as other human rights laws.
The NBA also said the actions amount to serious criminal offences, including assault and public indecency.
It warned that no tradition or custom can justify such abuse, stating clearly, “Any practice that permits such cruelty is not a culture. It is criminality.”
The NBA called on the Delta State Government and law enforcement agencies to act quickly.
It demanded that all offenders be identified, arrested, and prosecuted. It also said those who supported or failed to stop the acts must be held accountable.
The NBA urged community leaders and festival organisers to take responsibility and ensure safety at public events.
They added that protecting women is both a legal duty and a moral obligation, warning that silence and excuses only encourage further abuse.
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