THE Delta State Police Command has said no official complaint of rape had been lodged in connection with the Ozoro Alue-Do festival.
According to the police, investigations are focused on possible cases of sexual assault from attacks recorded during the festival.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Bright Edafe, made the clarification during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Monday.
He said authorities had yet to receive any verified report from victims alleging rape.
“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.
He said statements obtained from some of the women involved did not support the rape allegations circulating on social media.
He added that based on the available evidence, the police are treating the matter as a sexual assault case while investigations continue.
Edafe explained that the absence of formal complaints and corroborating evidence means the police could not classify the incident as rape at this stage.
Instead, the ongoing inquiry is being guided strictly by witness accounts, forensic analysis, and video evidence from the scene.
“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.
“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,” Edafe said.
The police spokesperson further confirmed that 16 suspects had been arrested so far, adding that initial arrests included the chief priest and four others, while additional suspects were picked up after authorities analysed video recordings from the event.
The number of suspects apprehended rose to 16 later, all of whom have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
“Having done the initial arrest, the chief priest, who happens to be the head of the community, was initially arrested alongside four others. Then, having gone through video analysis, that is, the training footage, some additional individuals were identified and arrested, making it 11 more.
“This brings the total number of suspects currently in custody to 16, and they have been transferred to the State Command Headquarters to be duly investigated by the DC State CID,” Edafe said.
He pointed out that proper procedures were not followed in organising the festival, noting that key stakeholders, including the traditional ruler, school authorities, student representatives, and the police, were not informed beforehand.
He argued that this lack of coordination contributed to the breakdown of order during the event.
The controversy surrounding the festival gained widespread attention after videos circulated online showing women being harassed by groups of men during the event.
The footage sparked public outrage, with many social media users condemning the conduct witnessed in the clips.
In one of the clips, a male voice was heard claiming that any woman who stepped outside during the period risked being raped.
Another clip showed a lady being dragged on the ground, with men attempting to tear her clothes, while also manhandling her. She was later seen to be rescued by another person. However, several other ladies were chased down the streets by men numbering hundreds.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M