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People group profile · PG013939

The Kukele of Nigeria

The Kukele of Nigeria, numbering about 261,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an ethnolinguistic community of Nigeria.

They are an indigenous people in the Benue people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Protestantism, and they primarily speak Kukele.

Pray for the KukelePrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Kukele people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Kukele

Fast facts

Country
Nigeria
Population
261,000
Affinity group
Sub-Saharan African Peoples
People cluster
Benue
Primary language
Kukele (kez)
Primary religion
Protestantism
Strategic Progress Index
No Longer Unreached
Evangelical
2% or Greater but Less than 5%
GSEC
2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
Lostness priority
Marginally Reached People Group
Region
Western Africa, Africa

Where they live

Gospel status

The Kukele are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 2% evangelical.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Kukele

  • Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
  • Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
  • Send out laborers from this people to the nations

Primary religion

Protestantism · Christianity

97% adherents

Primary language

Kukele · Atlantic-Congo family

100% speak Kukele

Gospel resources in Kukele

  • Bible available, published 1979
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

Bibles

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Kukele

  1. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
  2. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  3. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
  4. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.

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