Police Probe Assaults on Women at Ozoro Festival

Disturbing videos surfaced on social media Friday, March 20, showing groups of young men harassing and assaulting women in the streets of Ozoro, a community in Nigeria's Delta State, during what some residents described as a local festival. The footage, which quickly went viral, captured women crying out for help as they were chased, restrained, and had their clothes torn by dozens of men, prompting widespread outrage and an immediate police investigation.

The incidents reportedly occurred the previous day, Thursday, March 19, in Ozoro, the headquarters of Isoko North Local Government Area and home to a campus of Delta State University. According to eyewitness accounts and online reports, the attacks targeted women seen in public during the event, which locals said traditionally lasts about seven days in March. Community warnings had circulated advising girls and women to remain indoors for safety, but sources indicated no official notifications or sensitizations were issued by kingdom leaders this year, leading to confusion and vulnerability. In one video, a man's voice warned that any woman outside during the period risked assault, while another clip showed a woman being...