List of Tribes in Cross River State Nigeria

*Disclaimer: Due to insufficient data on various Nigerian tribes, we cannot ascertain the completeness or correctness of this information. If you believe that your tribe has been misrepresented or left off this list, please write the editor at idonsabi@gmail.com. Kindly include the name of your tribe and any other information that might be relevant to our research. You can also leave a comment on this article to voice your opinion. 

Cross River State is a coastal state in South South Nigeria, named after the Cross River, which passes through the state. Located in the Niger Delta, Cross River State occupies 20,156 square kilometers.

It shares boundaries with Benue State to the north,Ebonyi and Abia States to the west, to the east by Cameroon Republic and to the south by Akwa-Ibom and the Atlantic Ocean.

If your looking for a state with so much colorful cultures and ways of life, then you should be looking for a state like Cross River state.

Bahumono TribeRelated image To Cross rivers tribe

Bahumono is one of the biggest tribes in Abi local government area. It is made up of seven villages. They are Edibia, Anong, Usumutong, Afafanyi, Igonigoni, Ebom, and Ebiriba. The people of Bahumono speak a language called Ohumono. The people of Bahumono migrated from a place called Hotumusa close to present day Usumutong.

They are hunters and are predominantly Christians.

Abayon Tribe Image result for abayon tribe

The Abayon people of Cross River state are a minority in the state. As a result of this, they do not occupy any prominent political position in the state. The Abayon tribe has a lot in common with people of other tribes in Cross Rivers. Just like other tribes in Cross Rivers, the Abayon people are predominantly Christians. They also have farming as their major occupation.

Men from Abayon tie wrappers on singlet while women tie wrapper on blouse and cover their heads.

Adim Tribe

Not much is known about the Adim people of Cross River. This is because they have adopted the traditions of the more dominant tribes in Cross River state. The Adim people are well known for their cooking abilities.

Christianity is the dominant religion of this people. Also, farming and trading are the major occupations. Men from Adim tie wrappers on singlet while women from this tribe tie wrapper on blouse and cover their heads with headgears.

Adun Tribe

The Adun tribe in Cross Rivers is one of the smallest and least influential tribes in the state. This tribe has similarities with many more influential tribes in the state. This is probably due to an adaptation of the Adun people to the traditions on their neighbours.

Christianity is the major religion of the Adun people. Although a lot of people from this tribe go to church, they still practice their traditional religion occasionally. Men from Adun tie wrapper on singlet while women from Adun tie wrapper on blouse.

Agbo Tribe

The Agbo tribe is one of the largest tribes in Abi LGA and the tribe of one time Cross River state governor, Liyel Imoke. Although a lot of people do not consider them Igbo, their language is related to the Igbo language.

The Agbo tribe is not a well talked about tribe. They are about 30,000 people from this tribe and they share borders with Ebonyi state. The Agbo people are mostly Christians and farmers.

Boki Tribe

Boki is a tribe as well as a local government area in Cross rivers state. It is a landlocked tribe and is flanked by five other tribes. The Boki people are both farmers and traders.

Although the people of Boki are diabolic, they are predominantly Christians.

Akajuk Tribe

The Akajuk people of Cross River state have traditions that have remained hidden for many years. One reason for this is the fact that they have not mixed up with people from other tribes. The average indigene of Akajuk understands the languages of the more dominant tribes in this state.

The predominant religion of the Akajuk people is Christianity. The people of this tribe also have farming as their major occupation.

Anyima Tribe

The Anyima people are known for just a few things. They are their dance steps and their colourful masquerades. These people practise two major religions. They are Christianity and their traditional religion. People from Anyima are majorly farmers.

 Bette Tribe

Bette is a minority tribe in Cross River state. These people seem to be politically marginalized. They do not occupy any important political position in the state.

Christianity is the major religion of this people while farming is their major occupation.

Iyala Tribe

Iyala is both a local government area as well as a tribe in cross rivers state. The people of this tribe are characterized by their peaceful and hardworking nature. The Iyala people are known for their farming and festivals.

Christianity is the major religion of this tribe.

Efik Tribe

Image result for efik tribe

The Efik tribe occupies the southern part of Cross River state. They found their way to their present location from Cameroon in the 16th century. The Efik people have a very rich cultural heritage and are known for their very artistic dance steps.

Farming is one of the major occupations of this people. Also, Christianity is the major religion that is practised by members of this tribe

Yalla Tribe

The people of Yalla occupy the Yalla local government área in cross rivers state. The yalla tribe is made up of 23 villages. They are; okuku,yahe,ugaga,ijegu,oloko,imaje,oke,echumoga,woda,ebo,igede,edii nation,itekpa,maa,wonye,uchu,osia,mbuor,aliforkpa,echumofana,wanihem,wanikade, and wanikom. They speak the yalla language and are the dominant tribe in yalla LGA.

Ekoi Tribe

The Ekoi tribe otherwise known as the Ejagham tribe is a tribe in Cross River state. History has it that this tribe migrated from Cameroon many years ago.

The Ekoi people are related to Efik, Ibiobio and Anang tribes. They also share a lot in common. Such things as tradition, food, and mode of dressing are shared in common. Christianity as well as their traditional religion is widely practised by the Ekoi people.

Mbube Tribe

Mbube is one of the major tribes in Ogoja local government area of Cross River state. The Mbube tribe is made up of quite a number of villages, they are Odajie,Adagum,Ekumtak, Idum,Ojerim, Egbe,Nkim,Ogberia, Oboso,Benkpe,Edide, basan, and aragbea. The people of this tribe take part in agriculture. Men from Mbube tie wrapper on singlet while women tie wrapper on blouses.

The Mbube people are predominantly Christians, there are lots of Catholic churches situated in this area. Edikaikong is regarded as one of the best meals of this people

Mbembe Tribe

The Mbembe tribe of cross river state has a population of about 150,000 people. They are Christians and have framing as their major occupation. Some major crops cultivated by the Mbembe tribe are yam, cocoyam and cassava.  They speak a language which is unheard of by people from other parts of Nigeria. The language of the Mbembe tribe can be described as a language of the Benue – Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family.

Men from Mbembe tire wrappers on singlet while women tie wrappers on blouses. This is usually completed using a headgear.

Etung Tribe

Etung is a tribe in Cross River state. The people of this tribe are farmers and Christians. They are very well known for their delicious delicacies.

Men from Etung tie wrapper on singlet while women tie wrapper on blouse.

Ikorn Tribe

This tribe is one of the smallest in Cross River. The Ikorn people appear to have adopted the way of life of their more influential neighbours.

These people are Christians and have farming as their major occupation. Ikorn women tie wrappers on blouse while their men tie wrapper on a singlet.

Nkim Tribe

Nkim tribe is a tribe in Cross River that does not occupy any political or economical prominent position in the state. Men and women from this state are farmers and practise Christianity. Also, the Nkim people have the same traditions as neighbouring tribes. They have lots of rich meals. Prominent among them are Afang soup and Edikaikong soup.

Nkum Tribe

The Nkum tribe has a very small population and occupies a small part of Cross Rivers. The people of this tribe are farmers and also Christians. Their major meals are afang soup and edikaikong soup.

Nkum men and women tie wrappers. The complete their dressing with singlet while the women put on blouse.

Ododop Tribe

This tribe is a relatively unknown tribe. The Ododop people have taken up the traditions of the Efiks and other more influential tribes in Cross River state.

Christianity is widely practised by this people. Also, farming is the major occupation of this tribe.

Olulumo Tribe

Olulumo tribe is a small tribe in Cross River state. The people of this tribe do not have a distinct culture. They have a lot in common with neighbouring tribes. The similarity of the culture of the Olulumo people with those of neighbouring tribes is evident in their dressing, food and occupation.

 Ukelle Tribe

The Ukelle people appear to have many hidden traditions. As a result of this, not very much is known about this people.

This tribe is dominated by lots of church-going people. Also, farming is the major tradition of this tribe. Ukelle men and women dress in the same way as people of other tribes in Cross River state

Uyanga Tribe

Uyanga tribe occupies a very small portion of Cross River state. These people are predominantly Christians and farmers. They eat afang soup and processed cassava. Their mode of dressing is similar to those of other tribes in Cross Rivers.

Yakurr Tribe

This tribe is a small tribe in Cross- River state. There is no written history about the origin of the Yakurr people. As a result of this, not much is known about where they migrated from.

Yakurr men tie wrappers on singlet while women do the same but replace singlets with their blouses.

This article won’t be complete if your contributions are not included. Did we leave out some tribes or some tribes were not properly represented or explained? Then share them with us via the comment section.

4 thoughts on “List of Tribes in Cross River State Nigeria

  • March 29, 2021 at 9:29 am
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    The list of the Yala speaking people villages in Yala Local Government Area is not complete. There is the Yala speaking, the Yache(Ekpari), Ukelle, Igede etc in the list, which is a mix-up. you \need to seperate each tribe that forms the Yala LGA and discuss them as a people and tribe. get the full the full list of Yala speaking villages and review your work

    Reply
  • July 6, 2021 at 6:21 pm
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    About the Adim people,the young ladies tie wrappers around their waists,some around their breast,some others don’t,and they wear bangles on this leg.Yakurr people also do this.Its common on the Festival day

    Reply
  • July 6, 2021 at 6:23 pm
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    This list is also not complete.There are about 5-10 more not mentioned here.Thanks!

    Reply

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