It was all celebration as the people of the Tungbo clan in the Sagbama area of Bayelsa State celebrated their "Liberation Day"
The celebration usually holds every 19th of October of every year. The day is seen as a "liberation day" for the clan as they mark the Ebe-Benimo-Oge Festival
to remember when their gods saved them from the hands of Biafran soldiers who
had wanted to wipe out the entire community for leaking information of the
Biafra Operation Camp in Tungbo to the Nigerian army during the 1967 Nigerian/ Biafra civil
war.
See more pics after the cut..........
Activities of the festival includes, firing of canons to declare the ceremony open, Wrestling bouts among the youths of different age grade, Dancing round the community which ends at the community square, appearance of the traditional war boats, wrestling bouts among able young men, display of fetish practices as they believed the gods really helped them to wade off the invading Biafran's soldiers, and a sacrifice to a crocodile, which is
the Tungbo's symbol of power and authority.
It is an aged tradition to make a sacrifice to the crocodile as they believe that no crocodile can hurt any member of the community.
The festival attracts people of the community in diaspora and visitors alike.
This actually seems like a war zone..........
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