The Delta State Police Command has dismissed claims that the controversial Alue-Do festival in Ozoro was a “rape festival,” stating that no victim has officially reported rape in connection with the incident.
Police Public Relations Officer Bright Edafe made this known on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme.
“It is important to state clearly that among the four girls that were interviewed yesterday, no one, not one of them, said they were raped. Up till this very moment, we have not had any official reports that anybody was raped,” he said.
Edafe stressed that investigations are guided strictly by evidence and witness accounts.
“The law does not work on emotions; the law works on available evidence and statements of witnesses. For the fact that we have not had a witness who says ‘I was raped’, and the evidence does not show that anybody was raped, sexual assault is what we would be investigating,” he added.
He explained that the festival was not intended to promote sexual violence but was a traditional rite.
“It was not a rape festival. It was a festival organised by a chief priest to pray for barren women seeking the fruit of the womb. That was the intention,” Edafe said.
However, he noted that due process was not followed in organising the event, as key authorities were not informed. The traditional ruler, the students’ union, school management, and the police were not notified.
Edafe stated that the chief priest is currently in custody because his negligence led to the embarrassment and sexual assault of innocent girls.
The festival, which occurs once every three or four years, had never recorded such an incident in Delta State until now, according to the police spokesperson.
Authorities have arrested 15 suspects, including the community head and chief organiser. The Delta State Government has condemned the incident, stressing that cultural practices cannot excuse criminal behaviour. The Alue-Do festival has since been banned, and the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.
The Ozoro Kingdom Palace has condemned acts of violence, harassment, and intimidation against women linked to the festival, describing the harassment as “unacceptable” and “contrary to the kingdom’s values.”
The palace distanced itself from social media claims that such actions were sanctioned, describing them as false and potentially harmful. While acknowledging the cultural significance of the Alue-Do festival as a fertility rite, the palace emphasised that tradition must never be used to justify abuse or misconduct.
