About Us
Idoma people are the second largest ethnic group of Benue State and are among the ten largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, there are over 2.5 million living in seven (adding other subgroup making up nine local government which will rise the population to over 3.5 million) across the state. Based on that figure, the Directorate of information, office of the Governor, Benue State of Nigeria indicates that Idoma people are the second largest ethnic group in Benue State. They live in an area of 13,015 kilometers, covering: Otukpo, Okpokwu, Oju, Ado and Apa Divisions, with Otukpo as their main town. Idoma land is bounded on the North by the Benue River, on the West by the Tiv, on the south by Nsukka and Abakaliki areas respectively. Also, on the East reside the Igala people of Kogi State. Most of the Idoma area is inland South of the Benue, 72 kilometers East of the confluence with the Niger River (qtd in Igboaka 2007).
According to R. G. Armstrong “the country is nearly all ‘Orchard bush though changing into the forest at the beginning of the rain, along the southern fringes of the territory”. It is very fertile and hence, there is an annual cycle of hoe farming during the rains and hunting and bush fire during the dry season. In the southern part of the region bordering Enugu and Cross River States stretches of thick forest with palm trees, and many other economic trees, which provide timber for commercial purposes (qtd in Igboaka 2007). But currently, the Idoma
people are spread across nine big local government areas of Benue State comprising Ado, Okpokwu, Ogbadibo,
Agatu, Apa, Otukpo, Ohimini, Obi and Oju.
The language of the Idoma people is known as Idoma as stated by Armstrong, belongs to the Kwa language groups. The Idoma langauge is very rich, with five main dialects, which are categorized into the following: The central or Otukpo dialect spoken in Otukpo, Adoka, Ugboju, Oglewu, and Onyangede districts; The Igumale dialect spoken in Igumale and Agila districts; The Agatu dialect spoken in Agatu and Ochekwu districts; The Okpoga dialect spoken in Okpoga district, (It is closer to the Igumale – Agila dialects, but not the same), and the western dialect spoken in Otukpa and other districts in Ogbadibo.
The geographical spread of Idoma people is indeed very wide and diversified. The Afor in the Nasarawa, the Akweya-Yachi in both Akpa and Ogoja districts, as well as the Igede, all speak a language relatively close to that of the Idoma. Taking into account the fact that these groups are linguistically very near to each other, one can affirm that people speaking Idoma are spread from Keana, North of Benue River, to the region of Ogoja, and even further south to the bank of the Cross River, north of Ikom. The Etulo (Utur) also represent another isolated group near Katsina-Ala, in Tiv country. The Idoma people, as already mentioned are divided into numerous clans each with its particualr history.