Dare Babalola
Dr. Princess Olufemi-Kayode, Acting Executive Director of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), on Thursday said that while law enforcement authorities responded quickly to the recent assault incident in Ozoro, Delta State, the overall response remains insufficient without thorough prosecution and systemic reforms.
Speaking to NEWSTELLERS on the development, Olufemi-Kayode acknowledged that the Delta State Police Command acted promptly by arresting key suspects, including the alleged chief organiser and a community leader, noting that the use of video evidence and intelligence gathering had led to the arrest of about 15 to 16 individuals so far.
However, she stressed that arrests alone do not amount to justice.
“The police response has been swift but incomplete. The real test lies in whether the suspects will be properly investigated, charged under the full weight of the law, and successfully prosecuted, rather than the case fading away after public outrage subsides,” she said.
Olufemi-Kayode urged the police to go beyond basic charges and fully utilise provisions of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) and the Criminal Code in prosecuting the suspects.
According to her, charges should not be limited to sexual assault or molestation but expanded to include offences such as assault, battery, unlawful assembly, intimidation, harmful traditional practices, and deprivation of liberty.
She also called on the police to proactively identify victims and witnesses instead of relying on traumatised survivors to come forward, while emphasising the need for consistent public updates to ensure transparency and accountability.
The WARDC executive director further called on the Delta State Government to take decisive steps, including issuing a clear statement from the governor affirming that no cultural festival overrides the rights of women.
She also demanded the establishment of a formal inquiry into how the event was organised without adequate oversight or security arrangements.
In addition, Olufemi-Kayode recommended the immediate development of statewide guidelines for cultural festivals, stressing that there must be zero tolerance for practices that endanger women and girls.
She outlined a three-pronged approach to prevent similar incidents in the future.
On the legal and regulatory front, she advocated mandatory registration and approval of festivals by local authorities and security agencies, including the submission of safety plans and explicit bans on practices that restrict women’s movement under threat of violence.
From a security standpoint, she called for pre-deployment of police and other security agencies to high-risk events, alongside the establishment of real-time reporting systems such as emergency hotlines and designated community focal persons.
At the community level, she emphasised the need for dialogue involving traditional rulers, women’s groups and youth leaders to reform harmful practices, as well as the inclusion of women in festival planning committees.
Olufemi-Kayode highlighted the role of societal attitudes in perpetuating gender-based violence, noting that victim-blaming narratives often discourage survivors from reporting abuse.
“When people say ‘they were warned not to come out’ or justify violence as tradition, they shift blame from perpetrators to victims,” she said.
She warned that such stigma pressures families into silence, influences law enforcement to treat serious crimes as cultural issues, and ultimately leads to underreporting and weak investigations.
The WARDC boss called for long-term cultural change, urging society to redefine values around dignity and respect rather than control.
She stressed the importance of re-educating boys and young men on responsible masculinity, noting with concern the participation of teenagers in the Ozoro incident.
“There is a need to reinterpret traditions so that celebration and identity are expressed without violence or exclusion of women,” she said, adding that women’s presence in public spaces must be recognised as a right, not a privilege.
Olufemi-Kayode maintained that the Ozoro incident is not isolated but reflects a broader pattern of gender-based violence across Nigeria.
She pointed to the growing need for coalitions such as Womanifesto, which comprises over 500 women’s organisations, as evidence that the issue has become a national crisis.
According to her, the incident merely exposed, on camera, what many women experience daily in less visible ways.
She identified multiple systemic failures that contributed to the incident, including lapses in security planning, poor communication, weak cultural governance, inconsistent legal enforcement, and entrenched social norms that normalise violence against women.
Olufemi-Kayode noted that authorities, including the monarch, police, and even the student community, were reportedly not properly informed about the event, creating conditions that left women vulnerable.
“Put simply, when security is weak, leadership is unclear, and misogyny is normalised, violence becomes predictable, not accidental,” she said.
She concluded by urging all stakeholders to act decisively to ensure accountability and prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
