There are some stories you hear, and wish werenโt true. Not because they are shocking alone, but because they feel outdated. Primitive. Like something that should have been buried with a past we claim to have outgrown.
And yet, here we are.
In Delta State, during what should have been a cultural celebration, reports emerged of women being harassed, violated, and stripped of dignity in the middle of a public gathering.
A festival.
A celebration.
A space that should have been filled with music, colour, identity, and pride.
Instead, it became a place of fear.
๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฑ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐.
Letโs be honest; this is not just โunfortunate.โ It is deeply embarrassing.
In a world where conversations about consent, dignity, and human rights are louder than ever, how are we still explaining that women should not be touched, hunted, or humiliated in public spaces?
How is this still a conversation?
The year is 2026. We have smartphones, AI, global conversations, and access to knowledge at our fingertips.
Yet somewhere in our society, there are still pockets of thinking that belong to a much darker age.
๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฒ.
There is a dangerous habit we must confront: hiding behind โtraditionโ to justify harm.
Culture is meant to preserve identity, not destroy humanity.
Any practice that strips people of dignity, puts lives at risk, and turns women into targets is not culture. It is cruelty, dressed in the language of heritage.
And the longer we excuse it, the longer we normalise it.
The Real Cost: A Society That Refuses to Grow
When things like this happen, the damage goes beyond the victims.
It sends a message. A message that says:
– Some lives matter less.
– Some voices can be ignored.
– Some forms of violence can be tolerated.
And that is how societies remain stuck, and progress is delayed.
That is how people stay in perpetual darkness; not because light does not exist, but because we keep choosing not to walk toward it.
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
What makes incidents like this even more dangerous is silence.
When people look away, communities downplay it, and authorities respond slowly. It tells perpetrators that they can try again.
Condemnation is not enough if it is quiet, and justice is not real if it is delayed.
We Must Draw a Line
There has to be a point where we collectively say: Not here. Not anymore.
Not in our festivals.
Not in our communities.
Not in our generation.
Because if we cannot protect people in public spaces, in celebrations, and in moments meant for joy, then what exactly are we building?
Final Thought
Progress is not measured by how modern we look. It is measured by how human we are.
And any society that still allows this kind of darkness to exist, no matter how loudly it celebrates its culture, is not moving forward.
It is standing still.
Or worse, moving backwards.
