Shock and Outrage in Nigeria as Fertility Festival Turns Into Scenes of Sexual Violence Authorities in Delta state have arrested 15 people after viral videos showed women being stripped and assaulted during the Alue-Do fertility festival, sparking national condemnation. A profound sense of outrage has swept across Nigeria following the emergence of disturbing video evidence linked to the Alue-Do festival in Ozoro, situated in the southern Delta state. What was traditionally described as a fertility rite intended to assist married women in conceiving children has been condemned by the public as a rape festival. The viral footage, which has spread rapidly across various social media platforms, depicts a chaotic and violent scene where groups of men are seen chasing women through the streets.In these clips, the women are surrounded, stripped of their clothing, and subjected to sexual assaults and groping while bystanders film the atrocities on their mobile devices. This sparked an immediate digital uprising, with the hashtag #StopRapingWomen trending nationwide as citizens demanded justice for the victims and an end to the misuse of cultural traditions to justify gender-based violence.Among the most harrowing accounts is that of Ezeugo Ijeoma Rosemary, a student who described her terrifying encounter near the festival grounds. Rosemary recounted that moments after she arrived on a motorcycle, she was targeted by a mob. She recalled the crowd shouting, 'Hold her, hold her, that is a woman,' before they swooped upon her like bees.According to her testimony, the crowd proceeded to tear her clothes away until she was completely naked, while men pulled at her breasts and touched her body indiscriminately. Despite her screams for help, the assault continued until a bystander eventually intervened to rescue her, though she noted that her phone was stolen during the struggle.Reports indicate that many of the victims were female students from a nearby university, and several were subsequently hospitalized due to the physical and psychological trauma they endured. In response to the escalating crisis, the Delta state police command acted swiftly, announcing the arrest of 15 individuals suspected of involvement in the sexual assaults. Bright Edafe, the police spokesman for the state, characterized the captured scenes as alarming, disgusting, and embarrassing.He confirmed that the suspects identified in the videos have been transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department for further interrogation. While Edafe mentioned that police had spoken to four women who claimed they had not been raped, the sheer volume of evidence and the nature of the public humiliation have kept the investigation intense. Among those currently in custody is a prominent community leader who has been named as one of the primary organizers of the event.Traditional leaders and organizers of the Alue-Do festival have attempted to defend the event, claiming it has been misinterpreted by the general public. They described the ritual as a symbolic process where acts such as dragging individuals or pouring sand on them are believed to bring divine blessings to couples struggling with infertility. They further argued that the event had been hijacked by hoodlums from outside the community who took advantage of the festivities to commit crimes.The King of Ozoro also rejected claims that the festival condones sexual assault, suggesting that the rituals were abused by certain youths. However, rights groups have countered these claims, stating that forced stripping and public groping constitute serious criminal offenses under Nigerian law, regardless of whether they are framed as tradition or a misunderstanding. The controversy reached the highest levels of government, drawing a stern condemnation from Nigeria's First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.In a signed statement, she asserted that no cultural practice or tradition can ever justify the violation of women and girls. She praised the police for their prompt arrests and urged the security agencies to ensure that those responsible are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The First Lady also encouraged the victims to seek immediate medical and psychological support to cope with the trauma.The Delta state government echoed these sentiments, clarifying that no recognized festival in the state permits violence against women and insisting that any such act must be treated as a criminal matter rather than a cultural expression