Nigerian police have arrested 15 individuals following viral videos showing violent assaults on women during the Alue-Do fertility festival in Ozoro, Delta State.
Footage captured groups of young men chasing, stripping, and physically attacking women in public - acts condemned by authorities as "alarming, disgusting and embarrassing." The hashtag #StopRapingWomen surged across social media.
Police say investigations continue. Four victims have been interviewed; none reported rape, but forced stripping and public humiliation constitute serious gender-based violence under Nigerian law.
The King of Ozoro and local leaders denied cultural endorsement of such acts, calling them criminal abuses of tradition. The Delta State government affirmed no recognized festival permits sexual violence.
First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, a Delta native, condemned the attacks, praised the arrests, and urged victims to seek medical and psychological support.
Authorities are reviewing whether the violence was organized or tolerated under the guise of cultural practice.