The Bekworra of Nigeria

The Bekworra of Nigeria, numbering approximately 221,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Indigenous ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria, located primarily in Cross River State, where they form both an ethnic community and the basis of Bekwarra Local Government Area. They mostly adhere to Animism and Bekwarra is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Bekworra

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Nigeria
People Cluster: Benue
Primary Language(s): Bekwarra (bkv)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 221,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG013681
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Bekworra of Nigeria

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

80%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bekwarra
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Bekwarra Speakers

Media Resources in Bekwarra:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Bekwarra:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1983 Nigeria Bible Translation Trust✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Bekwarra bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Bekworra are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Bekworra:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Bekworra of Nigeria

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
read1 Timothy 6:9

Pray for those, rich and poor, who have put their trust in worldly things, and ask that they will be honest with themselves, acknowledge their need for God and turn to Him.

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.
readIsaiah 55:6

Pray that the lost will seek the Lord while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
readGenesis 50:20

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will forgive those who do them harm and trust God as they walk in His ways.

You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
read2 Corinthians 1:11

Pray that many people will join in praying for the spread of the gospel here, and that God will answer these prayers by drawing more people to Himself.

Bekworra Across Countries (ROP3 - 101216) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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