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The Zabarmawa of Nigeria

The Zabarmawa of Nigeria, numbering approximately 175,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a diaspora community of Zerma in Nigeria. They mostly adhere to Folk Islam and Zarma is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Nigeria
People Cluster: Songhai
Primary Language(s): Zarma (dje)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Islam
Population: 175,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG014205
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Pray for the Zabarmawa 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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

96%
%
Folk Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Zarma
Language Family: Songhay

100%
%
Zarma Speakers

Media Resources in Zarma:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Zarma:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
1977 Bible Society of Cote d'Ivoire✓

1 entry

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Zarma bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Zabarmawa 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 Zabarmawa:
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 Zabarmawa of Nigeria

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
readMatthew 9:36

Pray that those who have no hope and are in need of a Savior will be comforted by the Good Shepherd, who seeks to gather the lost and weary into His care.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
readPsalm 8:1

Pray that those who have yet to believe will soon recognize the majesty of God's name and raise their voices in praise to the Lord Almighty.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
readJohn 10:28

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have assurance of eternal life, knowing that no one can snatch them out of the loving hand of Jesus.

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
readIsaiah 58:7

As believers cross cultures to share the good news of Christ, pray that God will sustain them and grow their faith as He gives them the compassion necessary to minister well to those in need.

Zerma Across Countries (ROP3 - 111171) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

4 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
ZermaPG013616ZermaNiger5,195,000Engaged yet UnreachedZarmaFolk Islam
ZabarmawaPG014205ZabarmawaNigeria175,000Engaged yet UnreachedZarmaFolk Islam
ZermaPG012370ZermaBenin14,500Unengaged and UnreachedZarmaFolk Islam
ZermaPG013391ZermaGhana10,500Unengaged and UnreachedZarmaFolk Islam

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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