Egwu Imo Awka Festival Ended Today Without Casualties Yet, As Bishop Ezeokafor Warns

 

The popular Awka festival Imo Awka ended today without crisis and record of casualties yet. From time immemorial , Imo Awka’s celebration is not without casualties but in the past four decades or so casualties have been recorded mostly because of infiltration of people from other communities outside Awka especially residents from Ebonyi state and Imo state.

As at the time of filing this report , odogwuemekaodogwu.com reports that Umuokpu village are heading to Amaenyi at the Imo Awka shrine for the final ritual.  

It is always the toughest as the first day , the last three market day was not as tough as today but luckily it has been peaceful but not without little skirmishes here and there.

However, the Catholic bishop of Awka Diocese, his Lordship Paulinus Ezeokafor, says the Catholic Church is not against culture but only averse to one that is injurious to the faith.

The bishop stated this while reacting to the on-going Imo Awka Festival about which he advised the faithful of Awka Diocese to be wary of the festival to avoid being involved in any altercation with the celebrants.

‘The Church is not against culture; culture should be dynamic; it should be growing and should be modernized. Some of the people involved in the Imo Awka Festival do not even know what it’s all about and this is why I suggest that seminars should be organized to educate those involved,’ the prelate stated.

The Catholic bishop of Awka Diocese made the explanation at St Patrick’s Cathedral Awka while interacting with newsmen.

The bishop who said the explanation and warning became necessary because of the occasional violent incidents trailing the festival in which many people often sustained injuries urged the faithful to rather use the period to pray for the quick release of the abducted Chibok School Girls and for peace to reign in Nigeria.

He equally advised the Imo Awka celebrants to imbibe proper behavior and respect other citizens who had a right to free movement and also advised them to restrict their activities to the village squares and desist from blocking the roads and disturbing or harassing other road users during the festival in order to minimize the wrong impression held in some quarters about the festival.  

 Women even did their own Imo Awka on Sunday and there was no masquerade disturbance at all.

 

Odogwuemekaodogwu.com reports that commercial activities were paralyzed on Thursday and Today in Awka, the Anambra State capital, as the Egwu Imo-Awka masquerader festival begins. The festival is to herald the farming season.

Traders at the Eke-Awka and Amenyi markets operated partially, as the masqueraders visited Umuokpu, their religious home on Thursday but today Monday appears to be more total as many motorists avoided coming out and shop owners too. Schools dismissed by noon.

Police Commissioner Usman Gwary said he deployed more than 400 policemen to keep the peace during the festival.

The traditional ruler of the kingdom, Obi Gibson Nwosu, had warned youths, especially non-indigenes, to avoid fomenting trouble during the festival.

As well, the Chairman of Awka South Market Amalgamated Traders Union (ASMATU), Chief Anayo Nweke, said the closure of the markets was to respect the culture of the land, adding that it was also to prevent security breach.

The Egwu Imo-Awka festival has been a source of worry to the residents and the government, as it resulted in violence in the past.

Following the intervention of Governor Willie Obiano, Obi Nwosu, the police and the State Security Service (SSS) led by Mr. Alex Okeiyi, this year’s festival is still peaceful as at press time.

Part of report by Abuchi Onwumelu, CPS to the Bishop