The Okun are one of the three main peoples of Kogi State; the Federal Government's state profile describes them as similar to the Yoruba.
The Okun are one of the three main peoples of Kogi State; the Federal Government's state profile describes them as similar to the Yoruba. According to Wikipedia they are Yoruba-speaking, with dialects classed as Northeast Yoruba, and the name, a greeting in their dialects, covers the Owé, Yagba, Addé, Gbẹdẹ, Bunu, Ikiri and Oworo peoples. Blench's Atlas groups the Yagba, Gbede and Ijumu dialects of Yoruba as 'Okun', and places Yoruba in the western LGAs of Kogi State. Kabba is their largest town, and their stools include the Obaro of Kabba, who chairs the Okun traditional council, the Olubunu, the Olujumu, the Agbana of Isanlu and the Olu of Oworo. Wikipedia places them in Kabba/Bunu, Yagba West, Yagba East, Mopa-Muro, Ijumu and Lokoja LGAs.
- Kogi State — Federal Government of Nigeria (nigeria.gov.ng), 2024-03-06 · link
- Kogi State — Wikipedia · link
- Okun people — Wikipedia · link
- An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020 edition) — Roger Blench, Kay Williamson Educational Foundation / McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, 2020 · link
How evidence is graded
- Verified: Supported by an official source, or by two or more independent sources that agree.
- Well documented: Supported by credible sources, but not yet independently confirmed.
- Reported: Found in a credible source; further corroboration is welcome.
- Needs corroboration: The evidence is thin or incomplete; more sources are being sought.
- Disputed: Credible sources or community accounts disagree; the differing accounts are noted.
- Uncertain: There is not yet enough information to classify this responsibly.
Sources are marked official, academic, reference, community or general web. Sources that copy each other count as one. Oral traditions are recorded as traditions, not as proven fact.
Archive ID: ETH-OKUN · Last updated 30 September 2026.
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