Admin I Monday, March 2026
AWKA, Anambra – Renowned Nigerian human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has condemned what he described as an abomination—rape in Ozoro, Delta State.
He said it is regrettable that the Ozoro community in Delta State is alleged to have hosted a festival that provided a veneer of legitimacy for acts tantamount to mass sexual assault, noting that such conduct is not merely shocking but constitutes an egregious assault on the conscience of mankind.
Ejiofor, in a statement issued on Monday titled “Monday Musing: Culture Cannot Sanctify Crime, A Searing Indictment and an Unequivocal Condemnation of the Atrocities in Ozoro Community in Delta State,” stated that culture, in its truest and noblest form, ought to ennoble society, not degrade it.
He added that culture must civilise, not brutalise, and should protect, not violate.
According to him, it is both disturbing and profoundly disquieting that, in the twenty-first century—an era ostensibly defined by civilisation, human dignity, and the progressive abandonment of barbaric traditions—society must still confront allegations of cultural practices so grotesque that they affront the very essence of justice, decency, and humanity.
He said the reported incident in Ozoro, where a festival allegedly provided a veneer of legitimacy for acts tantamount to mass sexual assault, is not merely shocking but an egregious assault on the conscience of mankind.
“One is compelled to ask, with all the gravity the situation demands: does Ozoro exist outside the constitutional and administrative framework of Delta State? Is it a community detached from the reach of law and governance, or does it operate within a modern state bound by statutes that unequivocally criminalise acts such as rape and sexual violence? These are not rhetorical curiosities but pressing questions that strike at the heart of governmental responsibility.
“Where such abhorrent acts are alleged to occur under the guise of tradition, and without immediate and decisive intervention by relevant authorities, the spectre of state complicity—whether by omission or acquiescence—inevitably arises. Governance is not merely ceremonial; it is a solemn duty to safeguard lives, uphold rights, and ensure that no community becomes a sanctuary for lawlessness,” he said.
He said that it bears reiterating, with uncompromising clarity, that no cultural practice, no matter how ancient or deeply rooted, can legitimise what the law has expressly criminalised.
“Rape is not culture; it is a heinous crime. Sexual violence is not tradition; it is an atrocity. Any attempt to cloak such acts in the garb of heritage is a dangerous distortion that must be firmly repudiated,” he said.
Ejiofor added that he joins the civilised world in unequivocally condemning, in the strongest possible terms, this affront to human dignity.
He stressed that beyond condemnation, there must be swift, thorough, and transparent action. He stated that a comprehensive investigation must be immediately instituted, with a view to identifying and prosecuting all those involved—organisers, enablers, and any individuals who directly or indirectly facilitated the reprehensible conduct.
“To remain silent, or worse still indifferent, is to betray the fundamental values upon which any just society is built. The law must speak—firmly, decisively, and without fear or favour.
“Let it be unequivocally stated: a society that tolerates the violation of its women under any pretext forfeits its moral authority and undermines its claim to civilisation. The time has come to draw a definitive line between culture and criminality.
Traditions that offend natural justice, equity, and good conscience have no place in a modern legal order and must be consigned, without hesitation, to the annals of a regrettable past.
“Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done. And in this instance, it must be done with the full weight of the law,” he said.
