PRESS STATEMENT - ActionAid Nigeria Condemns Assault of Women and Girls at Ozoro Festival

Abuja, Nigeria – March 20, 2026 – ActionAid Nigeria strongly condemns the disturbing incidents of violence against women and girls reported during a recent cultural festival in Ozoro, Delta State. The widespread circulation of video evidence across social media, showing women and girls being openly harassed, chased, and assaulted in public, reflects a grave failure to guarantee safety and dignity in a communal space.

While efforts have been made in some quarters to minimise these events or frame them as a misinterpretation of cultural practices, ActionAid Nigeria stresses that violence against women and girls must never be trivialised, justified, or explained away under any circumstance. Regardless of how such actions are described, the reality remains that women and girls were subjected to abuse in full public view, and this demands accountability.

This incident is not isolated. It points to deeper, systemic issues of gender-based violence, where harmful norms, silence, and weak enforcement create conditions that allow such violations to occur. When acts of harassment and assault are normalised or downplayed, it reinforces a culture of impunity and further endangers women and girls.

ActionAid Nigeria unequivocally states that no cultural festival or traditional belief can be used to excuse or conceal violence. All individuals involved in these acts must be urgently identified and brought to book through a transparent and credible process that delivers justice and restores public confidence.

We call on the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, to take immediate and visible leadership in addressing this incident by ensuring that law enforcement agencies act swiftly and decisively in apprehending and prosecuting all perpetrators. The Governor must also ensure full public disclosure of actions taken, including arrests and prosecution outcomes, and demonstrate zero tolerance for gender-based violence in both policy and practice.

Security agencies must be held accountable for any lapses that allowed these incidents to occur and continue without timely intervention. Their mandate to protect citizens must be matched by proactive measures that prevent harm, not merely respond after the fact.

ActionAid Nigeria further calls on the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and the Delta State Ministry of Women Affairs to urgently provide coordinated and survivor-centred support to all affected women and girls, including access to medical care, psychosocial services, legal assistance, and safe reporting mechanisms. Survivors must be protected from stigma and supported to seek justice without fear.

Beyond immediate response, this incident highlights persistent gaps in safeguarding women and girls in public and cultural spaces and highlists the urgent need to confront harmful gender norms that enable violence by all tiers of government. Addressing gender-based violence requires deliberate, sustained action across institutions, communities, and leadership structures. Ozoro Kingdom must take responsibility and critically review cultural practices that put women and girls at risk and ensure that tradition does not come at the expense of safety, dignity, or rights.

ActionAid Nigeria remains resolute in its commitment to advancing the rights, safety, and dignity of women and girls and stands in solidarity with all those affected.

Signed:

Andrew Mamedu, PhD

Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria