Aerial view of Och’Idoma Palace in Otukpo

The Och’Idoma’s Palace is the symbolic totem of the Idoma community, the second largest ethnic group in Benue State, comprising of no less than 22 districts and 144 clans.

The palace is the residence of the spiritual head and custodian of the tradition of the Idoma nation.

The palace in Otukpo is made up of the inner palace and the square where rallies, coronations, receptions and other cultural gathering by Idoma indigenes take place, IDOMA VOICE reports.

As you enter the compound, the first thing that greets you is the red and black stripe (the Idoma traditional identity) that flies side by side the Nigerian green white and green flag.

The image of Agabaidu (unflagging lion), the symbol of heroism and territorial exploits of Och’Idoma and Idoma kingdom stands unworried in a scruffy ‘coat’.