Lady Diana Ereyitomi Eyo-Enoette, Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Delta State
Elegbede Abiodun
Arrests have been made. Now, convictions must follow.
In a nation where gender equality is still a distant dream, we are now confronted with something far more sinister rape, sexual violence, and the normalization of abuse under the guise of culture.
The events in Ozoro community, Delta State, are not “mistreatment.” They are acts of sexual violence.
Viral evidence and multiple reports confirm that young women were attacked, stripped, sexually assaulted, and in some cases reportedly raped during a local festival.
Let us call this what it is: Organized gender-based violence.
A society that creates conditions where women are told to stay indoors or risk being violated is not practicing culture. It is enabling crime.
Where are the security agencies that allowed this to happen? Where is the traditional authority that permitted such a system to thrive? Who are the custodians of this so-called tradition that has now become a tool for terror?
We are told this is culture.
But no culture that permits rape deserves preservation. The fact that arrests have now been made, including key organisers of the event, is a step but it is not justice yet. Justice is not performative. Justice is complete accountability and systemic reform.
This incident is a direct violation of the Sustainable Development Goals:
* SDG 5: Gender Equality – This is a blatant failure to eliminate violence against women and girls.
* SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – Survivors of sexual violence face lifelong physical and psychological trauma.
* SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – Women are being structurally excluded and endangered.
* SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – A society that cannot protect its women has failed at justice.
Let it be said clearly:
You cannot build sustainable development on the bodies of violated women.
We reject any narrative that attempts to water this down as “misinterpretation of tradition.”
There is nothing to misinterpret about violence. We therefore demand:
* Full prosecution of all perpetrators no exceptions, no cultural shields.
* Independent investigation into the systemic failures that enabled this.
* Immediate protection frameworks for women and girls in all communities.
* A public reckoning by traditional and community leadership.
Ozoro is not an isolated incident it is a mirror. A mirror reflecting how far we still are from justice, equality, and dignity for women. We must decide, as a people, whether we will continue to hide behind broken traditions or rise to defend the fundamental rights of our mothers, daughters, and sisters.
The time for outrage is now. The time for justice is overdue.
Signed, Lady Diana Ereyitomi Eyo-Enoette Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Delta State
