Anambra River


Osimiri Ọmambala Ọbala nkpume na eti mkpili, oké mmili ndụ , mmili ala na-azụlite Ọmambala.
The Ọmambala River is the natural landmark from which Anambra State was named
Inhabitants of the coastal areas of Ọmambala region; mainly the Aguleri, Anam, Anaku, Nando, Umueri, Nsugbe, Onicha, etc believe in the sanctification power of the Ọmambala River. "Ritual bath" in the River they say, cleans from iniquities.
In the ancient times, people from different kingdoms/empires such as Idah, Nri, Idu, Ilo-ife, etc consider Ọmambala a very sacred River, that is why they personified Ọmambala in their various ethos, myths & legends. Priests and priestesses sojourned from far and near to perform certain sacred rites & ordinances of sacrifice to Ọmambala.
Many wars were fought between slave raiders, traders and the inhabitants of the Ọmambala region which spilled great volume of human bloods on the river, down into the Atlantic Ocean for alchemical interactions with cosmological forces.
Many Aguleri believe the Ọmambala goddess, collects the mineral remains of their ancestors during period of great flood when the aquatic-spirit penetrate ancestral graves.
Natural philosophers which include ndị dibia from Aguleri, observed a thunderous phenomenon which follows a seasonal pattern: the Aguleri-Ọmambala area, thunders during the dry season and Ahaba-Niger area, thunders during the wet season.
The Aguleri people who literally occupy East bank and Westbank of the Ọmambala River, often refer to it as"Ọmambala" in their folklores.
The Ọmambala River flows into the Niger River and is found in Anambra, Nigeria. The river is the most important feeder of the River Niger below Lokoja. The flow of the Ọmambala River is released into the Atlantic through various outlets forming the Niger Delta region.