Agulu Lake

Agulu Lake is located in Agulu, a community in Aniocha Local Government Area of Anambra state. The lake is conspicuously situated along popular Awka road in Agulu. The lake has a long diameter and a lovely surface area. It is linked to the River Nigeria and Ulasi Okija. The lake is home to large number of crocodiles and water turtles. Because of the large number of crocodiles in the lake, it is called Agulu Crocodile Lake by some group of people.

The Lake is a well-known tourist destination. It has over the years served as a tourist centre to people from all walks of life, including foreign tourists. It offers tourist on excursion, boat rides and other entertainments. All kinds of hunting and fishing in and around the lake is highly prohibited as the community consider the lake and its vicinity sacred, crocodiles cannot be killed. An unverified submission has it that during the Nigerian civil war, these crocodiles saved the town from federal troops. These respected turtles and crocodiles are said to have transformed into beautiful women in order to fool the soldiers into swimming into the lake, where they disappeared without a trace. Some of the inhabitants of this lake like crocodiles and turtles usually come out in the afternoon to sunbathe on the shore of the lake. The lake is the source of Idemili River, which serves many communities in Anambra State. It has serious cultural and religious significance. There are important landmarks within and outside the lake but they are being threatened by human and natural activities such as wood logging, flooding, sand excavation, erosion etc.

The chief custodian of the lake makes yearly sacrifices to it during a well-known Idemili festival. This is very important as the sacrifice reduces the chance of the crocodiles from harming any visitor, notwithstanding, it is still advisable to be extremely careful while touring the lake. This Chief custodian has a chalet (shrine) called Idemili center very close to the lake. The Custodian feeds and cares for these crocodiles regularly without any fear to the admiration of the people. The best time to visit Agulu Crocodile Lake is during the day and precisely at sunrise when the crocodiles will be on the lake shore for sunbathing and when the tour guide is willing to show you around and invite the crocodiles out in his special way. Taking a closer look at the lake, especially while standing on the Agulu lake bridge, you will notice the twin bodies of this lake, which in actual sense is one body of water but was just divided by dense vegetation in the lake. Agulu Lake is a sacred body of water especially to the people of Agulu, who don’t eat crocodiles from the lake.

The lake is a body of water that is believed to have some spiritual powers and witnesses a lot of rituals, sacrifices and festivals. It is utilised by traditional worshippers and others for a variety of spiritual ceremonies. The water serves as a major source of medicine for different ailments. Relying on the presumed spiritual powers of this lake, many people come and do rituals and sacrifices in anticipation of getting their problems solved. The lake is also thought to heal “Ogbanjes,” or people who have been taken over by demonic spirits. During the market day, people buy the water in bottles for a variety of uses, and the traditional native doctors use it to make various medications. The money generated from tourist and different treatment medications has been a source of income to the community.