It is known locally as “Igboyegun” this forest serves as a hallowed ground as the residents consider it a sacred space for spiritual practices, ancestral veneration, and communal gatherings. Apart from its high spiritual significance, in this forest, masquerades are banned from entering.
This practice is traced back to early days when a blacksmith who specialised in carving women’s hair comb called Yegun, (this is how the forest got its name) complained that a masquerade called “eegun gogo” known to be very noisy was disturbing his children with his nose.
Yegun’s complaint soon caused a quarrel between them and then, Yegun declared that no masquerade should be allowed into Gboyegun. His decree stood over the years and since then masquerades cannot enter Igboyegun.
