It was a mixture of culture and tradition as stakeholders discuss various issues, including the unconditional release of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and the rising insecurity in the South-East, at the fourth Ofala Festival in Ogidi kingdom in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The Ogidi kingdom, one of the foremost ancient kingdoms in Anambra State, has been agog, following the successful celebration of its Ofala Festival. The Ofala Festival is an epoch-making event that provides the forum for the traditional ruler to take stock of the past years and evaluate his performance on the throne.
At the same time, it is a festival that provides a platform for the people of the kingdom, both at home and in the diaspora to fraternize with one another, interact with guests and traditionally become rejuvenated with their king. During the three-day festival that lasted over the weekend, the traditional ruler of the kingdom, Igwe Alex Uzo Onyido, also raised many issues the people of the South-East are currently battling, including the upsurge in crime, particularly kidnapping and cultism, as well as insecurity generally.
Onyido highlighted how crime was being tackled in Ogidi, despite the fact that it is a general phenomenon all over the South-East states. The monarch particularly appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to unconditionally release the IPOB leader, Mazi Kanu, to reduce crime and insurgency in the South-East zone.
