In a shocking incident, several videos surfaced online showing women being chased, stripped and sexually assaulted in public during an event in Nigeria, drawing massive criticism on social media platforms. According to a report by The New York Post, the incidents occurred during the annual Alue-Do fertility festival in Ozoro, Delta State.
Footage widely shared on social media shows groups of men pursuing women through crowded streets in broad daylight. In several clips, victims are surrounded, their clothes torn off, and they are subjected to groping and assault while onlookers film, shout and, in some cases, appear to cheer.
"They were pulling my breasts and touching my whole body"
“A large crowd started pulling my clothes until they stripped me naked. They were pulling my breasts and touching my whole body … I was shouting for help,” NYP quoted one of the victims, Ezeugo Ijeoma Rosemary, a student. She told authorities that she was attacked moments after arriving near the area on a bike.
“Immediately I came down, they started shouting ‘hold her, hold her, that’s a woman’, and they swooped on me like bees,” she added.
Still dealing with pain and trauma: Victim
Although the victim said she was eventually rescued by a bystander, her phone was taken by the mob. The student said she is still dealing with pain and trauma and has not returned to school since the incident.
University students targetted in mob attack
Authorities say the violence was not limited to a single episode. Multiple videos suggest similar attacks took place across different locations during the festival, involving large groups, including young boys. Some of the victims, believed to be students from a nearby university, were reportedly hospitalised following the assaults.
Community leader and several young men involved in shocking incident
The scale and visibility of the attacks triggered widespread outrage both within Nigeria and internationally. In response, State police launched an investigation and confirmed several arrests. Among those detained are a community leader and several young men identified from viral footage.
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Officials say more than a dozen suspects are now in custody, with further arrests possible as investigators review video evidence and witness accounts. Police spokesperson Bright Edafe described the incidents as sexual assault and public humiliation, urging victims and witnesses to come forward.
The incident has intensified concerns about public safety and the treatment of women during large gatherings, with calls growing for accountability and stricter safeguards.
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