Publication

At its core, this incident is not merely a social aberration; it is a gross violation of established laws in Nigeria. Section 34(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) guarantees the right to the dignity of the human person and expressly prohibits torture, inhuman, and degrading treatment. The public stripping and assault of these women is a direct affront to this constitutional safeguard.

Furthermore, Section 35 of the same Constitution guarantees the right to personal liberty. The victims, having been forcefully restrained, harassed, and violated, were clearly deprived of this right. No cultural justification can override these fundamental rights, which stand as the bedrock of our legal system.

Beyond constitutional provisions, the conduct described also constitutes serious criminal offenses under statutory law. The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015 (VAPP Act) is particularly instructive. Section 19 criminalizes indecent exposure, while Sections 1 and 2 address various forms of violence and harmful conduct. The acts of stripping and sexual assault fall squarely within the offenses contemplated under this Act.

In addition, under the Criminal Code Act, applicable in Southern Nigeria, Section 360 criminalizes assault, while Section 359 addresses indecent assault on females. These provisions leave no ambiguity, the perpetrators of such acts have committed punishable offenses under Nigerian law. What occurred in Delta State was therefore not culture. It was a convergence of multiple legal violations executed in the open, under the dangerous illusion of communal endorsement.

Equally disturbing is the role of the mob. The transformation of a cultural gathering into a theater of violence reflects a deeper societal problem, the normalization of lawlessness. When individuals act collectively without restraint, the rule of law is displaced by the rule of impulse. In such moments, silence becomes complicity, and spectators become enablers.

The human rights implications extend beyond the immediate victims. Incidents like this reinforce a troubling narrative of gender-based violence, where women’s bodies are subjected to public control and humiliation. This is inconsistent with both national and international human rights standards to which Nigeria is a signatory, including the principles enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, particularly Article 5, which guarantees the dignity of the human person.

Government response must therefore transcend rhetoric. While condemnation by authorities is commendable, it must be matched with decisive action. The law must take its full course. Perpetrators must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted. Anything short of this will not only deny justice to the victims but will embolden future violations.

Culture, no matter how revered, must submit to the supremacy of the law. The doctrine is well settled: any customary practice that is repugnant to natural justice, equity, and good conscience cannot be upheld. The events in Delta State clearly fall within this prohibited category.

Ultimately, this incident presents a stark choice. We can either uphold the sanctity of human dignity or allow it to be eroded under the guise of tradition. A society that permits the humiliation of its women in public spaces cannot, in good conscience, claim to be governed by law.

The time has come for the law to speak, not in whispers, but with authority. Justice must not only be pursued; it must be seen to prevail. Until then, the promise of dignity enshrined in our Constitution remains, for many, a distant aspiration rather than a lived reality.