People group profile · PG014199
The Yungur of Nigeria
The Yungur of Nigeria, numbering about 215,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a people of Nigeria's eastern Gongola River valley, related to the Mboi, whose centuries-old tradition of carving wooden effigies of deceased chiefs to petition for rain and harvest survives in objects radiocarbon-dated to more than 500 years old.
They are an indigenous people in the Adamawa-Ubangi people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is Animism, and they primarily speak Bena (Nigeria).

Fast facts
- Country
- Nigeria
- Population
- 215,000
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Adamawa-Ubangi
- Primary language
- Bena (Nigeria) (yun)
- Primary religion
- Animism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Pioneer Unreached People Group
- Region
- Western Africa, Africa
Where they live
Gospel status
The Yungur are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Yungur
- 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
Primary religion
Animism · Ethnoreligion
60% adherents
Primary language
Bena (Nigeria) · Atlantic-Congo family
100% speak Bena (Nigeria)
Gospel resources in Bena (Nigeria)
- Bible available, published 2013
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Yungur)
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Yungur
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.