{"id":126276,"date":"2026-03-24T20:55:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T19:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=126276"},"modified":"2026-03-24T20:55:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T19:55:40","slug":"no-rape-festival-exists-among-urhobo-isoko-people-ibori","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/no-rape-festival-exists-among-urhobo-isoko-people-ibori\/","title":{"rendered":"No \u2018Rape Festival\u2019 Exists Among Urhobo, Isoko People \u2013 Ibori"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Oscar Okhifo<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, has dismissed social media claims of a \u201crape festival\u201d among the Isoko and Urhobo communities, describing them as false and misleading.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0He reaffirmed that the cultural festivals in the region are rooted in history, spirituality, and moral values.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ibori, who hails from Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area and has extensive knowledge of Urhobo culture, emphasized on Tuesday via his X handle, that such claims do not reflect the true practices of the communities.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0\u201cI have generally refrained from intervening in public matters, but this issue is far too serious to ignore,\u201d Ibori said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cHaving lived my entire life in Urhobo Land and served as governor for eight years, I can confidently say I have never heard of or witnessed such a festival.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The former governor recounted his efforts to verify the claims, which had gained widespread attention on social media and beyond.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He emphasized that even the traditional authorities in Ozoro, the traditional seat of the Isoko people, confirmed that no such event has ever taken place.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He expressed disappointment that the reports had unfairly implicated the entire Isoko and Urhobo communities.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0\u201cFestivals among our people are rooted in history, spirituality, and moral values.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8221; They serve to memorialize past events and reinforce our cultural beliefs. The idea that there is a festival promoting violence or abuse is totally false,\u201d Ibori asserted.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cOne commentator even made a definitive pronouncement implicating the Ekene festival in orgies unleashed on girls and women. This is totally untrue. Festivals among Urhobo and Isoko people, apart from being celebratory, are woven around historical and spiritual motifs.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;They memorialize past events, reinforce belief systems, and are typically anchored in an essence sustained by strong moral values.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWhat happened is condemnable, and it is commendable that security agencies have now intervened to unravel what really transpired. It is my hope that this investigation will set the record straight: there is no \u201crape festival\u201d among Urhobo and Isoko people.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He further called on security agencies to investigate the matter thoroughly, hoping to clear the air and correct misconceptions.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ibori also pledged to work with university authorities and traditional leaders to engage youth and reinforce respect for cultural norms and the dignity of women.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cI want to make it clear: there is no such \u2018rape festival\u2019 among the Urhobo and Isoko people. We will ensure that actions that undermine our values are not tolerated,\u201d he declared.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Delta State Police and other security agencies have begun investigations into the incident, which reportedly occurred during the Alue-do festival in the Uruamudhu community of Ozoro Kingdom.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">So far, about fifteen people, including the festival organizer, have been arrested in connection with the incident.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Oscar Okhifo Former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, has dismissed social media claims of a \u201crape festival\u201d among the Isoko and Urhobo communities, describing them as false and&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":126277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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