Ogba Ogbunike

Michael Laumanns - 29/11/2015

(Ogbunike, Onitsha, Amambra) Co-ordinates approx. E 006°54'; N 6°11'. Located at the border of the Nkisi river. Formed in lateritic sandstones of Campanian-Miocene age. Interconnecting network of chambers, crawls and tunnels on two levels. The 100 m long lower level drains an underground stream and ends at a sump. The origin of the cave is the result of tectonic factors, physico-chemical and biological weathering and erosion, as well as anthropogenic factors. A large bat colony accumulated an enormous guano deposit with a rich and diverse invertebrate fauna. Histoplasmosis spores were found in the cave by Gugnani et al. (1994) and an interesting study on histoplasmosis infections amongst locals was carried out by Muotoe-Okafor et al. (1996). The cave is very well known in the area and has a significant number of visitors each year. Consequently, an awful lot of graffiti can be found inside Ogba Ogbunike. Access to the cave is allowed with bare feet only due to religious traditions. Plan according to Szentes (1989).