The Nigerian Bar Association has called for action over the alleged violence against women at a festival in Ozoro, Delta State, insisting that “justice must not be delayed.”

In videos going viral on social media, groups of young men were seen dragging and allegedly molesting women on the streets.

Reacting in a statement signed by the association’s president, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, and chairperson of its women’s forum, Huwaila Muhammad, the association said the reports emerging from the Delta State community were “not just troubling, they are horrifying.”

“A society reveals its true character in how it treats its women,” the statement added, saying that such acts cannot be justified as culture or tradition.

The association described the incident as “lawlessness” and “gender-based violence in its most primitive and shameful form,” adding that the acts violate fundamental human rights, including dignity, personal liberty, and security, as guaranteed under Nigerian law.

The NBA further called on authorities, including the Delta State Government and law enforcement agencies, to urgently identify and prosecute those responsible.

“The perpetrators must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted. Those who aided, enabled, or failed to intervene must also be held accountable,” the statement added.

The association noted that giving excuses or keeping mute in such disturbing cases will “only embolden further abuse.”

It also urged community leaders and festival organisers to take responsibility, stating that cultural celebrations must not become “theatres of violence.”

The police confirmed on Friday the arrest of five suspects from Ozoro’s Oramudu Quarters, including one Chief Omorede Sunday, the community head and event organiser.