A traditional Nigerian fertility festival designed to help women conceive has been branded a ‘rape festival’ after shocking videos appeared to show women being stripped and sexually assaulted in the streets.
Footage shared widely online from the Alue-Do festival in Ozoro, southern Delta state, appeared to show groups of men chasing women before surrounding them, tearing off their clothes and groping them as bystanders filmed.
The disturbing clips sparked outrage across Nigeria, with the hashtag #StopRapingWomen trending on social media as many condemned the event as a ‘rape festival’.
Nigerian police said 15 people have been arrested following allegations of sexual assault linked to the festival.
Delta state police spokesman Bright Edafe described the scenes as ‘alarming, disgusting and embarrassing’ and said suspects identified in the videos had been transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
However, he told Channels TV that police had spoken to four women who said they had not been raped.
Among those detained is a community leader widely named as one of the event’s organisers, while investigations remain ongoing.
The Alue-Do festival is traditionally celebrated by members of the Oramudu community and is intended to help married women struggling to conceive through prayer, community blessings and symbolic rituals.
A traditional Nigerian fertility festival designed to help women conceive has been branded a ‘rape festival’ after shocking videos appeared to show women being stripped and sexually assaulted in the streets
Footage shared widely online from the Alue-Do festival in Ozoro, southern Delta state, appeared to show groups of men chasing women through crowded streets before surrounding them, tearing off their clothes and groping them as bystanders filmed
Multiple videos appear to show attacks unfolding in different locations during the festival, involving large groups of men and even young boys.
Many of the victims, believed to be female students from a nearby university, were hospitalised, according to reports.
In one clip, a young woman is seen crying and clutching torn clothing while men crowd around her.
One alleged victim, student Ezeugo Ijeoma Rosemary, said she was attacked moments after arriving near the festival area on a bike.
‘Immediately I came down, they started shouting ‘Hold her, hold her, that’s a woman,’ and they swooped on me like bees,’ she said.
‘A large crowd started pulling my clothes until they stripped me naked. They were pulling my breasts and touching my whole body … I was shouting for help.’
She said a bystander eventually rescued her, but claimed her phone was stolen during the ordeal.
At certain points during the ritual, unmarried women are expected to remain indoors.
Community leaders insisted the event had been ‘hijacked by hoodlums’ from outside the area who began assaulting women in the streets.
Traditional leaders denied that rape had taken place and said the festival had been ‘misinterpreted’.
In a statement, organisers described Alue-Do as a fertility ritual in which symbolic acts such as dragging people or pouring sand on them are believed to bring blessings to couples struggling to have children.
They also dismissed claims of widespread sexual violence as ‘false and misleading’, despite the numerous videos circulating online.
Local reports suggested women who failed to stay indoors during parts of the festival may have been targeted publicly, raising fears the attacks were tolerated under the cover of tradition.
Rights groups said that even if rape had not been confirmed, the alleged forced stripping, groping and public humiliation shown in the videos amounted to serious gender-based violence under Nigerian law.
The King of Ozoro rejected suggestions the festival condones sexual assault, saying it had been ‘misinterpreted and abused by some youths’.
The Delta state government also said no recognised festival permits violence against women and insisted any assault should be treated as a criminal act.
Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, condemned the alleged attacks and urged security agencies to prosecute those responsible.
In a signed statement, she said no culture justified violating women and girls, praised police over the arrests already made and encouraged victims to seek medical and psychological support.
