Hoodlums sexually assault women during Alue-do fertility festival

6 articles · Updated · FRANCE 24 English · Apr 30

The attacks happened in March 2026 in the Oramudu community in Nigeria's Delta state, with several women assaulted during the traditional event.
Community leaders said outsiders hijacked the festival and attacked women in the streets, disrupting rituals linked to helping married women struggling to conceive.
Under the tradition, single women are meant to stay indoors at certain points, and leaders said the assailants did not understand the custom.

A fertility rite devolved into mass assault. Was this a cultural event hijacked or a predictable crime?

Beyond arresting perpetrators, can a legal system hold an entire tradition accountable for mass violence?

When culture is used to mask criminality, how can justice for female victims truly be served?