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The quiet town of Is­sele-Mkpitime in Anio­cha North Local Gov­ernment Area of Delta State transformed into a vibrant stage of culture and celebration on Saturday, October 4, 2025, as His Royal Majesty, Agbogidi Obi Sunday Ubaka Ogboli, led indi­genes and guests in the grand observance of the “Ine-Aho Fes­tival”, a revered cultural event that symbolizes gratitude, unity, and renewal.

The festival drew sons and daughters of the town from across Nigeria and the diaspo­ra, who converged to honour their roots and renew com­munal bonds. Adorned in full royal regalia, Obi Ogboli pre­sided over the celebration with regal grace, leading the people in thanksgiving to God for His protection and blessings over the past traditional year.

The day’s proceedings began with a solemn royal procession from the palace to Abuano, the spiritual centre of Issele-Mkp­itime. There, the monarch, ac­companied by the Iyase, High Chiefs, and the Chief Priest, performed sacred prayers and rituals for peace and prosperi­ty. The rite culminated in a re­sounding twenty-one-gun salute each for the Obi and the Iyase, announcing the official start of the festival.

With the spiritual rituals completed, joy and festivity swept through the community. Drummers, dancers, and jubi­lant youths filled the streets, their rhythms and chants echo­ing across the town as they marked the end of the fasting period and the beginning of the Ine-Aho feast.

The celebration peaked at the royal palace, where the tra­ditional “handshake ceremony” took place, a symbolic moment of allegiance and unity between the monarch and his chiefs. Leading the Onotu Chiefs, Chief Lawrence Njiokwu, the Iyase of Issele-Mkpitime, performed the first handshake with the Obi, followed by Chief Patrick Okonkwo (Odogwu), Hon. Chief Krees Njiokwuemeni (Onu-Obi/ Isama Oligbo), Chief Benjamin Nwabuzor (Ihama), Chief Fidel­is Jigide (Esogba of Issele-Uku), and Chief Victor Isiakwenemg­bu (Oza of Issele-Uku). Each re­ceived royal blessings after their display of traditional homage.

The second phase of the ceremony featured the Idime Chiefs, also known as honor­ary title holders, led by Chief A.C. Nwaobi (Ogwuluzeme) and Chief Paul Ngbanwa. They pre­sented their insignias of office before the king, who touched them with his royal staff, a sa­cred gesture signifying divine endorsement and blessing for their continued service.

In his royal address, “Obi Og­boli” expressed profound grati­tude to God and his people for another successful celebration, describing the Ine-Aho Festi­val as a divine institution that strengthens the spiritual and cultural identity of Issele-Mk­pitime.

“Ine-Aho is not merely a fes­tival; it is the soul of our tradi­tion, a time to thank God for His mercy and to reaffirm our unity as one people,” the monarch de­clared. “Let us continue to up­hold peace, loyalty, and progress in our beloved community.”

Several community lead­ers, including Chief Njiokwu, Chief Okonkwo, Chief Nwabu­zor, Chief Nwaobi, and Chief Ngbanwa, also lauded the suc­cessful celebration, calling it a reflection of divine favour and collective harmony.

Engineer Fidel Onwodi, High Priest Mark Mokwunyem, and other prominent indigenes equally praised the festival for rekindling the town’s spirit of togetherness. They noted that Ine-Aho continues to stand as a powerful symbol of Issele-Mkpi­time’s cultural pride and endur­ing heritage.

The 2025 Ine-Aho Festival once again reaffirmed Is­sele-Mkpitime’s place as a bea­con of Anioma tradition, where faith meets culture and the en­during bond between king and people grows ever stronger.