Plateau · Nigeria’s peoples

Irigwe

The Irigwe live in Bassa LGA of Plateau State, with their headquarters at Miango, and also in neighbouring Kauru LGA of Kaduna.

See the Irigwe on the map

At a glance

Where do the Irigwe people live?: Their homeland is in Bassa in Plateau State, across 1 local government area.
What language do the Irigwe speak?: Irigwe, a language of the Plateau family (Atlantic-Congo › Volta-Congo › Benue-Congo › Benue-Congo Plateau).

Overview

The Irigwe live in Bassa LGA of Plateau State, with their headquarters at Miango, and also in neighbouring Kauru LGA of Kaduna.^[2],[3],[1]High confidence

Where the Irigwe live

Local government areas by state. Homeland: the group is the majority. Shared area: a large share of a mixed area. Smaller presence: present, but a small share.

Plateau
- Bassa(Homeland)
Kaduna
- Kauru(Smaller presence)

Areas are approximate and show where people live. They are not claims of land ownership.

Communities beyond the homeland

Miango

Bassa, Plateau State.^[5],[2],[6]High confidence

The Irigwe headquarters, west of Jos. SIM missionaries founded the Miango Rest Home here in the early 1900s. In September 2017 twenty villagers of Ancha in Miango district were killed in a reprisal attack.^[5]

Farming that supplies much of Nigeria with eggs, red pepper, maize, tomatoes, Irish and sweet potatoes, carrots, cabbage, wheat and beans.^[5]

Language

Irigwe, a language of the Plateau family (Atlantic-Congo › Volta-Congo › Benue-Congo › Benue-Congo Plateau).^[1]High confidence

Sources

Every claim carries a confidence level: high (well attested), medium (one source or approximate) or disputed (sources disagree).