The Ukpe-Bayobiri of Nigeria

The Ukpe-Bayobiri of Nigeria, numbering approximately 30,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Bendi-speaking community of Nigeria's Obudu geo-cultural area whose ancestors are believed to have migrated from the east, reaching their present territory by the eighteenth century alongside neighboring Bete-Bendi, Bumaji, and Utugwang communities. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Ukpe-Bayobiri is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Ukpe-Bayobiri

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Nigeria
People Cluster: Benue
Primary Language(s): Ukpe-Bayobiri (ukp)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 30,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG014144
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Ukpe-Bayobiri 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: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

92%
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Ukpe-Bayobiri
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Bukpe Speakers

Media Resources in Ukpe-Bayobiri:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Ukpe-Bayobiri:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Ukpe-Bayobiri bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Ukpe-Bayobiri are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Ukpe-Bayobiri:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Ukpe-Bayobiri of Nigeria

Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
readLuke 15:7

Pray that God will convict the lost of their sin, give them an urgency to run to Him for forgiveness, and feel His welcoming arms around them when they turn to Him.

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
readIsaiah 30:21

As the lost in this people group seek to know the truth of who God is, pray that the Spirit of God will draw them to Himself and guide them in the way they should go.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
readRomans 10:13

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ and sometimes have doubts, God will help them remember and trust the power of Jesus to save them from their sins.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
readRomans 6:23

Pray that God will bring people to faith who are excited about the eternal life they have in Christ and will want to cross cultures to share this hope with others.

Ukpe-Bayobiri Across Countries (ROP3 - 110375) 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.

Scroll to Top