The Imo-Oka Festival Celebrated in Grand Style: One of the Best in Recent Years

The 2026 Imo-Oka Festival will go down in the annals of cultural history as one of the most successful and peaceful celebrations ever witnessed in the history of Awka Kingdom.
The annual festival, deeply rooted in the traditions and spiritual heritage of the Awka people, attracted both indigenes and non-indigenes from far and near, who gathered to honour the rich customs of the kingdom.
As early as 7 a.m. on Saturday, residents of Awka , both indigenes and visitors were seen in front of their homes pouring libations and offering prayers for a peaceful and successful Imo-Oka celebration.
The prayers appeared effective, as the ceremony ended without any major incident.
In previous the years, the festival had often been associated with violence, clashes, maiming, and other criminal activities that tarnished its image.
Our correspondent, who monitored the celebration across different parts of the town, observed that Awka indigenes were fully prepared for this year’s festival and determined to restore the dignity and sacredness traditionally associated with Imo-Oka.
Information available to Insideoutnews revealed that the Awka traditional institution, in collaboration with community leaders and youth groups, established a special youth task force to monitor activities and checkmate any form of misconduct throughout the celebration.
The initiative reportedly paid off, as peace and orderliness prevailed during the event.
Further findings indicated that many individuals previously known for causing trouble during festive periods were actively involved in maintaining peace this year.
Some were seen seated at various community tables and peace committees, helping to ensure that the festival remained orderly and hitch-free.
Further investigations by Insideoutnews also revealed that the origin of Imo-Oka dates back several centuries, although no one can accurately state the exact year the festival began.
However, oral tradition has preserved the significance of the celebration across generations.
It was gathered that Imo-Oka is linked to the ancient covenant between the people of Awka and monkeys, which, according to tradition, played a crucial role in alerting the community to enemy invasions during the historic Ada War.
A community elder who identified himself simply as Obaleose Awka told our correspondent that the festival is as old as the Awka Kingdom itself.
“This is what our fathers and great-grandfathers practised and handed down to us. We are proud to continue celebrating it today. Our prayers are that everyone who comes from far and near to witness Imo-Oka will receive blessings and favour associated with it. This is our tradition, and it must continue,” he said.
According to him, Imo-Oka is an annual traditional festival during which Awka indigenes at home and in the diaspora return to reconnect with their roots and participate in the communal celebration.
Another indigene, Chukwudi Okoye, who spoke with our correspondent inside the Imo-Oka shrine, explained that the festival is held in remembrance of the covenant between the people and the monkeys that once serve as informants and protected the community during wartime.
According to him, history has it that during the Ada War, the people of Awka consulted an oracle for divine direction on how to defend themselves against invading enemies. The oracle instructed them to observe the behaviour of monkeys in the forest.
“The monkeys would climb tall trees and make loud noises whenever enemies were approaching the town. Through those signals, our people were able to prepare themselves and defend the community. After the war, the people of Awka instituted this ceremony in honour of the monkeys and the role they played in protecting the town. That is why it remains a taboo for anyone in Awka to kill or harm a monkey,” he explained.
He further described Imo-Oka as one of the greatest festivals in the Awka cultural calendar, adding that all sons and daughters of the kingdom are expected to return home annually to participate in the celebration.
“No one can say exactly when the festival started, but everybody knows the history and significance behind it,” he added.
Meanwhile, our correspondent, who interacted with several youths during the celebration, discovered that many residents regarded the 2026 edition as one of the best in the recent years.
Mr. Michael Ikilo said he greatly enjoyed this year’s celebration and prayed that future editions would maintain the same peaceful atmosphere witnessed in 2026.
According to him, people freely interacted, ate, drank, and celebrated together in unity, which he described as the true essence of Imo-Oka.
An 82-year-old elder, Joel Chukwunonso, also commended the youths for conducting themselves responsibly and avoiding violence during the festival.
According to him, traditional flogging rituals associated with the festival are meant only for age-grade mates and should never be directed at strangers or non-indigenes.
He stated that Imo-Oka traditionally abhors the harassment or beating of visitors, regretting that in the recent times some non-indigenes and misguided youths had contributed to giving the festival a negative reputation.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, in appreciation of the peaceful conduct of the festival, paid a visit to the traditional ruler of Awka, His Royal Highness Gibson Nwosu, to felicitate with the people of the capital city during the celebration.
The governor expressed joy and satisfaction over the orderly manner in which the 2026 Imo-Oka Festival was celebrated, noting the absence of the violence, killings, clashes, and unrest that had often overshadowed previous editions of the festival in the state capital.