Obeagwe: Anambra riverine community worships alligator as god

By Vincent Ujumadu
OBEAGWE is a riverine community in Ogbaru local government area of Anambra State. It has a unique culture which has not been abandoned despite modernity. In this community, the people revere the Alligator, a semi-aquatic animal which they believe protects them and wards off external aggressors when necessary.
The people are mainly farmers and fishermen, and it is one of the food baskets of Anambra State. In Obeagwe, alligators could be seen moving around in the compounds, and nobody dares to harm them. To many people in the nine villages that make up Obeagwe community, their continued existence could be traced to the presence of the alligator in the days of their fo...