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 fraternise 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.

Blaming the spate of crimes and insurgency in the South-East to the continuous incarceration of Kanu, the monarch said, “I am appealing to President Tinubu to come to the aid of the South-East region and effect the release of Kanu. This singular gesture of Mr President will no doubt, mitigate and reduce the incidents of insurgency and other criminal activities in the South-East.

“There is no gainsaying that the continued detention of Kanu is disrupting the development of the South-East region with youth restiveness as the by-product.

“Let it be known that until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to ethnic nationality; until there are no more first class and second class citizens of our dear country and until the ethnic nationality of Nigerian citizens is of no more significance than their national citizenship, until that day the dream of lasting peace, rule of law and national integration will remain an oscillating illusion to be pursued but never attained.”

He said that the community sets up security committee to supervise and control different challenges of security breach, adding that they were working with security agencies to organise youth convention, where seasoned resource persons were invited to address the youths on the current insurgency and dangers of cultism.

Tbe monarch added, “In spite of great efforts to stem the tide, the issue of cultism, armed robbery, rape, among others kept rising. At the peak of the malady, we reformed, re-equipped and repositioned our security outfit, the Ogidi Vigilante Group, to effectively fight the menace.

“This involved a lot of funding as security tools and personnel salary are recurrent and must be taken care of, to keep the outfit going. Security maintenance is capital intensive.

“This is in the face of limited ways and means at our disposal. We have also tackled the problem spiritually.”

Onyido also added that the town union will organise a head count of all Ogidi indigenes home and abroad, where it will establish a data-base of all Ogidi kindreds, adding that the exercise will commence in early next year.

Applauding the governor of Anambra State, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, for renaming the state International Cargo and Passenger Airport after the illustrious literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe, as well as rehabilitation of Ugwu Nwasike roundabout and link road to Enugu-Onitsha expressway, the monarch further thanked the governor for the appointments of some illustrious sons of the community in his administration, saying that Ogidi lingdom was indebted to him and will continue to support his government and to partner with him in community development.

The traditional ruler used the occasion to honour and award chieftaincy titles to some prominent men in the state.

Highlights of the Ofala festival include age grades parades, masquerade display of many types, including the king of masquerades Ijele, while individuals and groups paid royal homage during the Ofala festival.

One of the community leaders, Mazi Okechukwu Okoro, said that the event was not only traditional and cultural, but deserving in the sustenance of the rich Ogidi kingdom succession plan and heritage.

He described the monarch’s demands for Kanu’s release as a means to enhance sustainable peace that will engender a lasting development, which has eluded the South-East region in recent times.

He enthused, “If Kanu is released, we believe the issue of insecurity will be a thing of the past in the South-East. Also, all those people both home and abroad calling for sit-at-home will not have any justification to continue doing so.”