THE recent viral video showing the stripping and groping of young ladies by hoodlums at a traditional fertility festival dedicated to praying for barren women in Ozoro, Delta State, has turned out to be a paradox of some sort. Just how could a traditional event which ostensibly seeks to find succour for sterile women turn around to be a source of sexual abuse and public humiliation of the womenfolk? This incident, which occurred in broad daylight, has ignited public outrage. And not a few are wondering how hoodlums could take advantage of such a sacred ceremony and conduct themselves in such a beastly and barbaric fashion in the 21st century Nigeria. No rape was recorded to have taken place, but that perhaps was because of the swift intervention of the authorities. Otherwise, the thugs could have accomplished their ignoble mission. It should be noted without any equivocation that stripping and groping young ladies publicly without their consent is a serious sexual offence. It is deserving of unqualified condemnation and is punishable under the law. Gladly, virtually all the critical stakeholders have condemned the unfortunate occurrence and proclaimed that the perpetrators deserve time behind the bars.
This was a case of a few undisciplined and morally depraved members of a community latching onto a cultural event to commit criminal acts. And was it preventable? We strongly believe so. In modern times, a festival of the magnitude described by the Ovie (King ) of Ozoro shouldn’t have taken place without the full complement of security agents to check the excesses of some people with a low moral fibre. The acclaimed popularity of the event and the fact that young ladies are the centre of attraction clearly recommended the beefing up of security, especially given the moral decadence among youths today. In the future, the community, and in particular the organisers of the festival, should engage with security agents to rein in thugs who may want to take advantage of the festival to cause chaos.
The promotion of cultural heritage should be done with decency: those whom festivals are meant to make happy should not be dehumanized, like in the instant case. It is time societies and communities began to realise that culture, like everything else, is dynamic. Aspects of culture that are obnoxious or clearly out of tune with today’s realities must be tinkered with so that they yield ground, even if modestly, to modernity. Sometimes, state intervention is required to curb criminal activities masked by cultural traditions. Last year, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State signed an Executive Order banning masquerade displays on streets and major highways. The order addresses the excesses of masquerades, particularly regarding violence, extortion, and public disruption. And since then, sanity has started to prevail in the state with regard to masquerade festivals. The “ancestors” and ordinary citizens of the state now operate within the bounds of the law.
There have been instances of violence during Egungun (masquerade) festivals in the South-West, too. The governments of these subnationals and their prominent traditional rulers have usually waded in on a case-by-case basis to rein in the acts of criminality and violence that sometimes attend celebration of the cultural and traditional event. It is hoped that these governments and other stakeholders will take a cue from Governor Eno and institute laws that regulate and citizens’ activities during cultural events. It is important to mention that the extant laws in the land are adequate and sufficient to address and redress every act of criminality under the sun but since this is a clime where some tend to believe that there should be a specific law for a specific offence, it may be useful, albeit not compulsory, to make such specific laws. The ugly incident in Ozoro should not be replicated anywhere. Cultural events that cannot stand the test of decorum and decency are not worthy of celebration. No celebration of cultural and traditional heritage should put a question mark on the collective humanity of the people.
The incident in Ozoro is horrific and bizarre, if there were no immediate interventions, the ladies could have been raped, and this would have sullied the reputation of not just the community and the state but also the country at large. We condemn the molestation and harassment of ladies in no unmistakable terms and we enjoin the Ozoro community, especially the organisers of the festival, to ensure that the barbaric act is never allowed to recur. It is comforting to know that 16 suspects connected to the dastardly incident are in police custody. We urge the police to inquire into the incident painstakingly and prosecute the suspects diligently so that the full weight of the law can be brought upon them if they are found guilty.
