Nigeria joined the rest of the world to celebrate the annual International Women’s Day on March 8, 2026. Less than two weeks later, precisely on March 19, the Alue-Do Festival in Ozoro, Delta State, descended into an orgy of sexual assault as multiple women were assaulted by young men and boys on camera. In the videos, young men and boys were seen rushing and groping women. Some women were also said to have been raped.
The videos and pictures spread like wildfire despite the best efforts of damage controllers, prompting anger across the country at the treatment meted out to innocent women in broad daylight. The question many are still asking is: in which country do women suffer sexual assault in such a brazen manner, with perpetrators showing such flagrant disregard for the bodies of women? Such a society can only be one that is inherently lacking in respect for women. Following the outcry, arrests have followed, but the question is, beyond the arrests, how can Nigerians have the conversations that ensure that their country is safe for women? This is important, as tackling a societal problem must go beyond a handful of arrests. The offensive events at Ozoro are only the tip of the iceberg. All over the country, women always find themselves in impossibly vulnerable situations where they are prone to exploitation by men.
Rage in Nigeria is always short-lived. When events that shock Nigerians to their core happen, Nigerians are quick to anger and outrage. These don’t last anyway and are easily defused. Then complacency takes over, which borders on complicity.
Weeks after the atrocities at Ozoro, the furor appears to have died down. There have been partial denials from the police as well as half-truths from the community. The police have said that no woman was raped during the festival, as no one has come forward to report that they were raped. Such a lame line in the face of what will go down as a grave attack on women in Nigeria. But knowing the police, what did anyone expect? Knowing how easily the complaints and concerns of women are swept under the carpet by a country and system that simply refuses to acknowledge the grave challenges they face, what did anyone expect?
Improbably, the events opened a window, and it is important that, as a country, Nigeria makes prudent use of the opportunity to hear directly from women about how Nigeria can be made safer and better for them. It is no time for denials, denunciations, or dissembling. The stage must not be yielded to rape apologists to mock women who continue to suffer unspeakable abuse all over the country. It is the voices of women that must be heard loud and clear on how the entire country can be made safe for every woman and every girl.
The shocking events at Ozoro can only embolden the campaign for gender equality. Rather than perceiving a threat where there is none and seeing gender equality as a dampener of Nigeria’s heinously unjustifiable patriarchal privileges, it must be considered a matter of justice. Yes, gender equality must be seen as an issue of justice.
Gender justice should translate into legislation and policies that protect, promote and empower women. Women should be encouraged to leave the shadows and come out of hiding. Women should be given more representation and made more visible because the more women show up, the faster rape apologists, misogynists and other predators are shunted into the shadows.
Addressing issues of safety for every woman and girl in Nigeria is an urgent task because, in one way or another, it affects everyone in a society that would disintegrate without them.
Nigeria owes its women protection. It is a debt that has not been paid so far.
Kene Obiezu,
