The untold story of Ozoro Alue-Do festival
The Alue-Do festival is an age-old cultural ceremony by Uruamudhu community, one of the five traditional communities that make up Ozoro Kingdom in Isoko North Local Government of Delta State. Weekend Trust, however, reports that this year’s festival was marred by allegations of sexual molestation and rape. The March 19, 2026 Alue-Do was meant to […]
The Alue-Do festival is an age-old cultural ceremony by Uruamudhu community, one of the five traditional communities that make up Ozoro Kingdom in Isoko North Local Government of Delta State.
Weekend Trust, however, reports that this year’s festival was marred by allegations of sexual molestation and rape.
The March 19, 2026 Alue-Do was meant to be a fun-filled day, one that was supposed to celebrate cultural heritage and reawakening, as well as ancestral pride; however, it turned out to be a day of fear and violation of womanhood by those who ought to be the custodians of the culture.
A resident who gave his name simply as Samuel noted that the day would linger in the memory of the victims who were sexually molested.
Weekend Trust’s findings showed that traditionally, the Alue-Do festival is not an impromptu affair; it is publicly announced, structured and governed by clearly communicated rules. The rules, according to Samuel, include restrictions that often require women and girls to remain indoors during specific hours. He, however, said there was no formal notification, clear guidance or community-wide sensitisation.
According to findings, women and girls, unaware of any restriction against their attendance and movement, went about their normal businesses.
Unfortunately, students of Delta State University, Ozoro and visitors who are not acquainted with local customs and traditions found themselves trapped in the web of assault they didn’t anticipate. Women and girls who also thronged out to witness the celebration were reportedly sexually molested without anyone to defend them
Samuel earlier told Weekend Trust that some criminal elements exploited the festival to carry out acts of sexual violence against helpless women and girls, who were allegedly stripped naked and assaulted in broad daylight under the cover of cultural celebration. He said the action of the men was not about celebrating culture but criminality wearing a cultural mask to perpetuate evil.
“In the past, this is not the way the culture was celebrated. The festival was meant for fun, merriment and cultural reawakening,” he said.
According to a community source, the festival was last held in 2022 and acts of criminality were not recorded.
Weekend Trust learnt that it is traditionally regarded as a fertility festival believed to bring blessings of children to individuals or couples experiencing challenges of childbirth.
One of the symbolic practices of the festival is a playful pouring of sand on married individuals without children, a cultural expression rooted in long-standing tradition. This practice is believed to open doors for them to have children.
According to Samuel, this traditional rite is not an annual event; it occurs intermittently, sometimes after intervals of two to four years.
He said, “Since 1994, I have never witnessed this kind of thing. This festival has always been peaceful and culturally significant. What happened this time is completely strange.”
Eyewitness accounts suggest that the situation escalated when some youths allegedly misinterpreted aspects of the traditional rites, particularly movements associated with the festival.
According to a local shop owner who asked for anonymity, the incident occurred between 5pm and 6pm on the day of the event.
“Some youths began harassing young women, chasing and assaulting them. In one instance, a man had to intervene to protect his girlfriend who was being pursued.
“They left what they were doing and started chasing after his girlfriend. That was when he realised that something was wrong,” he recounted.
He said the man and his girlfriend were, however, saved by an okada rider who picked them and drove out of area.
In one of the viral videos from the festival, women are seen running through the streets, some being dragged by a group of young men who took delight in the act,
In another video seen by Weekend Trust, young girls were stripped and young men were seen touching their bodies in an atmosphere that doesn’t seems to be a festival celebration.
Victims narrate ordeal
In an interview, one of the victims (name withheld) said she was assaulted and molested.
“On that day, I was wearing a pair of shots when I saw a crowd and heard some boys shouting ‘see girl, see girl’. I was really molested,” she said.
Another victim said it was a day that would continue to linger in her memory. “I was on a bike when I went out that day. As I was passing the crowd, the boys were shouting, ‘Hold her, she is a girl, don’t allow her to go.’ They started dragging my cloths, ensuring that I was naked. I was shouting that they should let me go, but they were pressing my breasts and touching my body,” she recounted.
She added that since the incident occurred, she has been having nightmares and shouting ‘leave me, leave me!’
“Last night my mum had to stay and pray with me before I could sleep. I want them to compensate me for the things I lost during molestation,” she said.
Amid viral videos and widespread social media claims, particularly allegations of rape, emerging testimonies from student leaders and residents present a more complex picture.
The Student Union Government (SUG) president of the Southern Delta University, Ozoro, Comrade Oribelua Precious, clarified that while cases of sexual harassment and assault were reported, there is no verified record of rape so far.
“In terms of rape, no confirmed case has been recorded. But in terms of molestation and sexual assault, those cases exist. We are still trying to collate the number of students sexually molested but I have not actually seen anyone who was raped.
“I was part of those fighting to save the students because I live in the quarter where the incident occurred. Someone informed me that some students were being dragged.
“I rushed there and saw some students being dragged and some people were trying to touch sensitive places. I saved many students and took them to my house,” he said.
He, however, said he could not state the number of female students who were sexually molested, but admitted that many were victims.
“For now, we have met the traditional ruler, the police and the state government to register our grievances. Anyone who was involved in it must be brought to justice and our students who are victims must be compensated,” added.
He said they did not do anything when the incident happened because they believed the law would take its course.
Ozoro Kingdom sheds more light on festival
Speaking with Weekend Trust, the president-general of Ozoro Kingdom, Chief Berkley Asiafa, noted that the festival had existed for ages, even before his father was born and had never been associated with acts of criminality.
“Unfortunately, this year, the chief priest and leadership of the community celebrating the festival didn’t make adequate arrangement for security. So some boys who were drinking and smoking Indian hemp saw some girls on top of bikes and drag them down and molested them.
Asiafa, who denied rape allegations, noted that none of the girls was raped but only molested.
“It is not easy to rape a woman in public in Africa. About 30 boys raping one woman? It is not possible because they would be arrested.
Explaining how the event is usually held, Asiafa said that for any of the five communities to host its festival, they would inform the king of the date and adequate sensitisation would be carried out.
“The king would inform the president-general of Ozoro Kingdom, who would make adequate security available to ensure a peaceful celebration and safety of attendees. But this time, they didn’t do all that. They went ahead to announce the event, fix a day and didn’t tell the king and the president-general.
“If they had informed the king, adequate security arrangement would have been made, even without the police our vigilante,” he said.
Ozoro leadership refute allegation of rape
Meanwhile, the leadership of Ozoro Kingdom refuted the allegation of rape and widespread violence reported on the social media during the event.
In a statement jointly signed by the president-general of the kingdom, Chief Berkley Asiafa and the secretary-general, Prince Obaro Egware, the leadership described the reports as false and misleading, stating that incidents of rape were not recorded during the festival. They, however, acknowledged that the event was marred by the misconduct of some youths who misinterpreted and misapplied the cultural practice, leading to the harassment of two young women.
Condemning the action of some of the youth, they noted that harassment and any form of misconduct were not part of their cultural values and would not be tolerated under any circumstance.
The kingdom added that necessary steps were being taking to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and to prevent a recurrence during future celebrations.
Meanwhile, while condemning the reported harassment and assault of women during the festival, the Delta State Government described it as barbaric and unacceptable, adding that such acts do not have any place in the society.
A statement by the state Commissioner for Works (rural roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, noted that the state government was deeply disturbed by reports of women being harassed, and in some cases, sexually assaulted under the guise of festival.
“The state government frowns at any act that violates the dignity and rights of women,” he stated, warning that cultural celebrations must never be used as a cover for criminality.
He directed security agencies, particularly the police, to urgently investigate the incidents and ensure that those responsible are identified, apprehended and prosecuted.
Also, the Ovie of Ozoro Kingdom, Anthony Uvietobore Ogbogbo (Ibuka I), Godwin Ogorugba, a lawyer, condemned the incident, insisting that “no girl-child should be subjected to such experience.”
The traditional ruler, who spoke during police stakeholders meeting with community leaders and student representatives, said his palace was not properly informed about the event; and directed that no festival should hold without prior approval.
On his part, the chairman of Isoko North Local Government, Godwin Ogorugba, described the sexual molestation as inhumane, barbaric and totally unacceptable.
He warned that no tradition could justify the degradation of women.
“This is very disappointing. Painfully, there was no official notification or approval from the community leadership for any such festival, making the incident even more troubling,” he said.
A former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, who also condemned the incident, said it was, however, unfair to ascribe such violence to the entire Isoko people.
He said, “From the facts available, the custodian of our tradition, whose authority is required for such festivals, was not consulted. Most unfortunately, Urhobo people have also been implicated.
“What happened is condemnable. But it is commendable that security agencies have intervened to unravel what really transpired. It is my hope that this investigation would set the record straight: There is no “rape festival” among Urhobo and Isoko people,” he said.
In his reaction, the spokesperson of the Delta State police command, Bright Edafe, said 18 suspects had been arrested in connection with sexual assault and molestation during the festival.
“For now, we have identified four victims of sexual assault and molestation, but there was no rape victim. We have not seen anybody that said she was raped,” he said.
He said four suspects were initially arrested, followed by additional 15 and another three, bringing the total number to 18.
He added that the police was reviewing the video of the event and would arrest those identified therein.
He appealed to students to remain calm, trust the command and the process, assuring that everybody involved in the criminal act would be brought to justice.