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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Arum-Chessu of Nigeria

The Arum-Chessu of Nigeria, numbering approximately 11,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a small Indigenous ethnolinguistic people group in north-central Nigeria, united by the Arum (Alumu‑Tesu) language, a shared village‑based culture, and a history shaped by Middle Belt resilience amid larger regional powers. They mostly adhere to Ethnoreligion and Alumu-Tesu is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Arum-Chessu

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Nigeria
People Cluster: Benue
Primary Language(s): Alumu-Tesu (aab)
Primary Religion(s): Ethnoreligion
Population: 11,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG013643
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Pray for the Arum-Chessu of Nigeria

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Ethnoreligion
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

55%
%
Ethnoreligion Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Alumu-Tesu
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Arum Speakers

Media Resources in Alumu-Tesu:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

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Bible Resources in Alumu-Tesu:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Alumu-Tesu bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

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SPI: No longer Unreached

The Arum-Chessu 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 Arum-Chessu:
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 Arum-Chessu 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.

As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.
readMatthew 13:23

Pray that their hearts will have good soil that receives the Word, understands it, and bears fruit for God's kingdom.

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
readPsalm 105:3

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will glory in His holy name and that their hearts will rejoice.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
readEphesians 6:11

Pray that those God sends to cross cultures will put on the full armor of God so that they will be able to stand against the schemes of the enemy.

Arum-Chessu Across Countries (ROP3 - 100531) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Arum-ChessuPG013643Arum-ChessuNigeria11,500No Longer UnreachedAlumu-TesuEthnoreligion

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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