By Ayodele Oni
The Delta State Police Command has said that nobody has come forward to state that she was ra3ed during the controversial Alue – Do festival in Ozoro.
Police Public Relations Officer in the State, Bright Edafe, made this known on Monday on Channels Television.
“It is important to state clearly that among the four girls that were interviewed yesterday, no one, not one of them, said they were ra3ed. Up till this very moment, we have not had any official reports that anybody was ra3ed,” he said.
Edafe stressed that investigations are guided strictly by evidence and witness accounts, and explained that the festival, being a traditional rite, was not intended to promote se3ual violence.
According to the Police Spokesperson, the festival is said to occur “once every three or four years, and this is the first time such an incident has been recorded in Delta State.”
Edafe also urged parents and guardians to pay closer attention to their children, noting that safeguarding should not be limited to the girl child alone.
The controversy surrounding the festival sparked national outrage after viral videos showed mobs of men harassing and assaulting women in broad daylight, with some social media users describing the event as a “ra3e festival”.
Community leaders, however, maintained that the festival was hijacked by hoodlums who exploited the gathering to perpetrate criminal acts.
Authorities have since taken action, with the Police confirming the arrests of suspects, including the community head and chief organizers.
“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 ra3ed’, and the evidence does not show that anybody was ra3ed, sexual assault is what we would be investigating,” Edafe said.
The PRO also revealed that 16 suspects have been arrested so far.
“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 trailing 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.
The spokesman said that the Police visited Ozoro and the Oramudu communities to assess the situation and met with four victims.
He stated that the Police assured them that the State Government would cover their medical needs, compensate for lost property and money, and provide psychological support to help them recover from the trauma.
However, he noted that due process was not followed in organising the event, as key authorities were not informed.
“For reasons best known to them, the Traditional Ruler of Ozoro Kingdom was not informed, the Students Union was not informed, and the School Management was not informed.
“They also did not inform the police. That is why the Chief Priest is presently in our custody because his negligence has led to this embarrassment and to the se3ual assault of these innocent girls,” he said.
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