🇳🇬 Language

Basa-Benue

Evidence: Well documented

Basa-Benue is a Kainji language of the Basa people of Kogi State and Nasarawa LGA, Nasarawa State.

Key facts
Type
Language
Belongs to
Kainji
Glottocode
basa1282
Overview

Basa-Benue is a language of the Basa people, spoken in Bassa and Ankpa LGAs of Kogi State and in Nasarawa LGA of Nasarawa State, according to Roger Blench's Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020). The Atlas records the speakers' own name for the language as RuBasa and for themselves as TuBasa, and other names as Abacha and Abatsa. It classifies Basa-Benue in the Western Kainji group, in a cluster with Basa-Gurara (Federal Capital Territory) and Basa-Makurdi (Benue State). Glottolog does not separate these three and lists a single language, Basa (Nigeria), ISO code bzw. The Atlas cites speaker figures of 30,000 (1944–50) and 100,000 (SIL, 1973), and records a complete Bible translation (2009).

The Atlas names the LGA as it was when the data were gathered; Toto LGA was later created from Nasarawa LGA, and Wikipedia names the Bassa as one of Toto's main peoples.

Connections
Other names
  • Abacha · alternative
    Blench's Atlas (2020), entry 40.b, field 2.B.
  • Abatsa · alternative
    Blench's Atlas (2020), entry 40.b, field 2.B.
  • Basa · spelling variant
    Blench's Atlas (2020), entry 40.b, field 1.A.
  • Basa (Nigeria) · alternative
    Glottolog's name (basa1282), which covers the Atlas's Basa-Gurara, Basa-Benue and Basa-Makurdi.
  • RuBasa · endonym
    Blench's Atlas (2020), entry 40.b, field 1.B: the speakers' own name for the language.
Sources
  1. An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020 edition) — Roger Blench, Kay Williamson Educational Foundation / McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, 2020 · Academic source · link (accessed 24 Sep 2026)
    Supports: Entry 40.b: location, own names, classification, speakers, Bible
  2. Basa (Nigeria) (basa1282) — Glottolog · Academic source · link (accessed 26 Sep 2026)
    Supports: Basa (Nigeria), bzw: one language for the Basa cluster
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: LANG-BASA-BENUE · Last updated 26 September 2026. Spotted an error or have a source to add? Tell us.

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