Beyond providing refuge in times of peril, the Ogbunike caves are
a spiritual bastion and a hidden gem of Eastern Nigeria.
In the latter months of 1968 and 1969,
when hundreds of people hid in the dark to escape the perils of the Nigerian Civil War, the
Ogbunike caves presented many
options. For the locals and soldiers who hid and lived there for days and weeks in some cases, it was
familiar territory; a complex maze
of caves that outsiders could never understand. It was not the first time that the Ogbunike caves offered a
place for hiding; it is said that
slave traders in pre-colonial times hid in the caves from which they planned and executed slave raids.
The safety and refuge that the caves have provided across
history are partly why they hold
special importance to the indigenes of Anambra and the Eastern part of the country. The caves are
actually a system of many caves
linked together by small, tunnels and passages. They take their name from Ogbunike, a town in Oyi Local
Government Area of Anambra State
where they are situated. The main cave consists of a massive structure with a big open chamber of about 5m
high, 10m wide and 30m long at the
entrance. Beyond their storied history as a place of refuge, the Ogbunike caves have an important
spiritual heritage that dates back
many years before the white man first set foot on African soil, to a time when they worshiped in its
darkest recesses. It is said that
the Ogbunike caves were discovered by a man named Ukwa, from the Umucheke family of Ifite-Ogbunike,
about 4000 years ago.
According to legend, the caves were created by a deity named
Ogba, who they believe lives
within. The Ogbunike caves draw much of their spiritual significance from this belief. Some of the
indigenes still come there to
worship and they point to many phenomena in and around the cave as proof of their beliefs. The caves have a large
colony of harmless bats of various
sizes that seem to stand as guardians of the structure from the entrance of the place. The
water around the caves is also
thought to be divine. A stream flows out from one of the caves’ tunnels into River Nkissa, a rapidly flowing
river at the foot of one of the
caves’ exits. The water drops perpetually from the roof of the caves at many points, people also believe that
the water has healing powers that can cure any ailment and many come to
collect it for different purposes.
According to some publications online, there is a crocodile,
tortoise and a talking stone in
the caves and the indigenes call the talking stone “Nwanyi Akpanyi”. As hard as it may seems for
many to believe, as seeing is believing, the caves have taken on an essence
that makes them different from
other caves due to the naturally-occurring underground structure in Nigeria. As such, there are
rules and regulations, provisions
and celebrations that seek to preserve their sanctity and honor their significance in times of old and
now. Another thing to note about
the cave is that you can’t use the same way that led you into the caves. You have to leave the caves
through another passage as there
are many points of entry and exit. The caves also forbids women who are on their monthly cycles from
entering the caves, and all
visitors, regardless of age, status and race must first of all take off their shoes before entering. Every year,
locals hold the Ime Ogbe festival
in celebration of the caves and its spirits that attract visitors from around the state and beyond.
In 2007, UNESCO added the caves to their tentative list to be
considered as a World Heritage Site, after it
was submitted by the Nigerian
Commission for Museums and Monuments. The site has been protected from the threat of urbanization to a large
degree; there are large boundaries
of about 20 hectares on all sides, between the caves and the closest human settlement. There is no doubt
that the Ogbunike caves have major
tourist potential, both for their history, novelty and the many mysteries that lie within the dark recess
of its chambers.
By Pupwaya Timothy Dibal
The cave is so amazing
ReplyDelete