Amazing story of water cave where Nigerians visit for leisure, ‘healings’

On a cloudy Saturday afternoon in the middle of September, 2022, Patrick Ogbonna, a resident of Awhum community in Udi Local Government Area of ​​Enugu State, wore a smile on his face, as he came out of the famous Awhum water cave in the community, where he had gone to pray .

He has lately become one of the regular visitors to the cave which also has a waterfall.

Mr. Ogbonna was happy not to send the message immediately. But as this reporter will understand, this story is about escaping a life-threatening illness.

For more than two years, Mr. Ogbonna fought for his life. A colleague at his workplace in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria, had poisoned him, PREMIUM TIMES said.

He said the poison almost paralyzed him, forcing him to seek spiritual help from some native doctors in another country.

Mr. Ogbonna said he was shocked when an indigenous doctor he visited in Imo State, Southeast Nigeria, told him that he (the indigenous doctor) could not “handle” his illness because “superior powers” were in his hometown (Ogbonna). .

A native doctor asked him to visit a water cave in his community, Awhum, and immerse himself in the water to heal.

“When I got to the waterfall, I prayed according to the direction I received, because I was asked to pray there with a clear mind and tell how the disease started,” Mr. Ogbonna said.

“I entered the water, then it washed me. That’s how I came back. (I am now) healthy,” he told PREMIUM TIMES, with a grin.

Inside the cave and waterfall

The trip to the water cave was exhausting for the visiting PREMIUM TIMES reporter. About an hour’s journey from the community, crossing two shallow rivers. A narrow and bumpy road remains the only way to the area where the cave is located.

The cave, where there are huge granite boulders that form a narrow space, offers an amazing sight.

It was the first contact before the falls.

The high stone is said to be about 30 meters (98 feet) high from the ground, with water flowing through another path formed by a boulevard of granite stones. Visitors juggle over flowing water through a narrow footpath to access the falls.

Hot water in all seasons, according to visitors and residents.

It takes about five minutes to trek from the cave to the waterfall.

In the cave, water flows endlessly from the top of the rock, forming a stream at the bottom.

Besides being a tourist attraction, the water flowing in the cave is said to have some “healing power” and can “remove” evil forces wherever it is sprinkled, locals say.

This, he said, has turned the cave into a place of prayer for Christians and non-Christians alike, where visitors dip into the river for miracles.

People in groups – like prayer groups from different churches – also frequent the stream.

Built at a strategic point in the cave, there are statues of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ and other biblical figures. Several visitors, especially members of the Catholic Church, are often seen praying in front of the statue.

Some visitors carved their names on the stone walls inside the cave. They believe that doing this will attract miracles, residents told PREMIUM TIMES.

Located in the forest, the area around the cave is dark green and wet. It was very calm and quiet, except for the occasional chirping of birds.

“People come here for exhibitions, picnics. People come to camp and pray too. A couple looking for a child, they got a child after coming to this place. If you come to this place with a clean heart, your problems are over,” Uchechukwu Oba, a resident of the community, told PREMIUM TIMES.

“Many people who come to this place are blind or crippled. Once they enter this water, the blind will see, the lame will stand and walk,” said Mr. Oba, who is the youth chairman. group, Awhum Youth General Assembly.

But the flow, according to the youth leader, does not cure diseases “caused as a punishment for abominable acts”.

He said some Chinese tourists visited the cave in early September. Other foreigners have also arrived, according to residents.

The cave was also a choice location for filming, residents said.

Miracle seekers

Onyekachi Onah, a resident of Ebonyi State, has grappled with an avalanche of family problems which he believes are “spiritual attacks”.

He was moved to the cave in search of his own “miracle” after listening to the testimony of others.

“I was scared because I didn’t expect what I saw. The whole place was bush. It looked like (a) house, but it was stone,” said the mother of three about the cave.

“Only the water falls on you, and you will swim in the water, you will be happy in that place,” he said excitedly.

Mrs. Onah said that she immersed herself in the water and also took a barrel for her to go home.

Another visitor, who identified himself as Paul, said he had been visiting the falls for more than 15 years, traveling from Lagos State, South-west Nigeria, to Enugu State.

Mr. Paul has a Christian ministry in Lagos. He visited the cave with devotees from his ministry.

“But today, I am here for a personal prayer program,” he told PREMIUM TIMES.

He plans to spend three months praying in caves and waterfalls, according to him.

“The water that falls there heals people. On one occasion, one of the visitors from my ministry, who was poisoned, drank this water and vomited the poison,” said Mr. Paul.

He said that the speed of getting healing or other miracles in the cave depends on the level of faith.

Like others, Mr. Paul used to fetch water from the cave and bring it back to Lagos. He said he used the water to “remove evil forces”.

Another visitor, who asked not to be named, told PREMIUM TIMES he was prompted to visit the cave to combat work-related stress after seeing photos of the cave on social media.

He said that when he got there he joined the people who went under the water to pray. “Water fell on my head. It’s very interesting,” he said.

Who is responsible?

Although it is owned by the Awhum community, the water cave is managed by a Catholic organization, the Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Calvary, which is close to.

Visitors (not including the natives of the community) to the caves and waterfalls pay a fee before being allowed access.

The monastery has rooms for rent at the rate of N2,000 per night for cave visitors.

A security guard said there is an increase in the number of visitors to the monastery during celebrations like Christmas and Easter.

When a PREMIUM TIMES reporter visited the monastery in September, the Catholic priest, identified only as Kelvin, who was in charge of the place, was said to have traveled outside Enugu State for a religious programme.

Some monks who asked not to be named told PREMIUM TIMES that the number of people visiting the water cave has decreased “drastically” in recent times.

One of the monks attributed this to the ongoing renovation of the monastery.

“We didn’t ask them to stop coming. They just saw that there was no accommodation and stopped,” said the monk.

But PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the lack of road access and the rising cases of kidnapping in the area are the main factors in the decrease in the number of visitors.

“Just yesterday (September 16) someone was kidnapped here,” another security guard at the monastery told this newspaper.

For security, the monastery usually sends two armed personal security guards to the pilgrims, PREMIUM TIMES learned.

Security guards accompany the pilgrims to the cave and accompany them back after prayer.

History

A community leader in Awhum, Felix Atuchi, told PREMIUM TIMES the cave has been there “for a long time”, and its history is unclear.

He said the community took refuge in the cave during the Nigerian Civil War, and that the bomb failed to destroy the cave.

Another community leader, James Ugbor, said the traditionalists managed the place before the monks arrived around 1975.

Mr. Ugbor said that while the cave is managed by traditionalists, people cannot enter it alone for fear of encountering unknown spirit beings.

talisman

A few years ago, some traditional worshipers tried to continue their talisman activities in the cave, residents told PREMIUM TIMES.

Some Christian clerics have also turned the cave into a place of “prayer and deliverance” for those believed to be possessed by evil spirits.

But the monastery reportedly rejected his activities and later banned visits to the place without his consent.

Pilgrims must form a group before being allowed to enter the water cave, said the official, who asked not to be named.

Tourism, a neglected sector

Awhum water cave has the potential to become a major tourist attraction in Nigeria. For the appropriate authorities to first look at the challenges they face and then consider raising the site to the status it deserves.

Nigeria’s tourism sector accounted for 34 percent of GDP and about 20 percent of employment in 2017, the Chief Executive of the National Bureau of Statistics, Yemi Kale, said in 2018.

Also, the Managing Director of Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, Adesoji Adesugba, in April, said that over the years, tourism has contributed about $1.5 billion to the country’s economy.

The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Enugu State, Ugonna Ibe, said, “For tourism to flourish, like in Awhum Falls, there must be security, power supply and accessible roads.”

He suggested that a holiday resort and hotel be built near the cave.

The commissioner said a delegation sent by the federal government, during the 62nd anniversary of independence, visited the caves and tours in the country, but no one heard from them.

“Not only in Enugu State, but the (successful) government of Nigeria also does not understand (the importance of tourism) just because we have been immersed in crude oil. And soon, the oil will end,” he said.

Tourism expert, Bolaji Suen, said that to ensure the safety and security of the people, the government could create a vigilante group for the cave.

“It will give you peace of mind to visit the place,” he said.

“Tourism is a part of life. When we are close to nature, we are close to God. So, nature refreshes our mind, spirit and makes us feel at home,” he said.