Security has been increased at the Osun-Osogbo grove as the festival draws to a close on Friday.

Armed security personnel were on the road leading to the grove as a large number of devotees and tourists arrived.

Officers of the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Joint Security Task Force were stationed at strategic locations around the grove.

Soldiers were also seen in a parked van at the entrance of the grove, watching the participants closely.

Devotees of the Osun-Osogbo goddess were seen in their white attire, heading towards the grove, accompanied by drummers and other cultural dancers, as early as 7:30 a.m.

Some devotees were also seen carrying jerry cans filled with water from the Osun River coming out of the grove.

Food and souvenir vendors took advantage of the influx of visitors to make brisk business.

The event, which started on July 28, is expected to end with a young maiden, Arugba (a virgin female girl), with a calabash on her head as a symbolic sacrifice to the river goddess.

The Osun-Osogbo festival, whose history dates back many centuries, is usually celebrated in a grove on the outskirts of Osogbo between July and August.

It is among the last of the sacred forests that adjoined the edges of most Yoruba cities before extensive urbanisation.

In recognition of its global significance and cultural value, the Sacred Grove was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

For the people of Osogbo land, the festival represents the traditional cleansing of the town and a cultural reunion with their ancestors and the founders of the Osogbo Kingdom.

(NAN)