Igala is a language of Kogi State, according to Roger Blench's Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020), which classifies it as Yoruboid (East Benue–Congo).
- Type
- Language
- Belongs to
- Yoruboid
- Glottocode
- igal1242
Igala is a language of Kogi State, according to Roger Blench's Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020), which classifies it as Yoruboid (East Benue–Congo). The Atlas places it in Ankpa, Dekina, Idah and Bassa LGAs (listing them under Benue State, before Kogi State was created), and also in Oshimili and Anambra areas to the south. The Atlas cites speaker figures of 295,000 (1952); 800,000 (UBS 1987). Its dialects are Ánkpa and Ògùgù (Ankpa LGA), Ìfè (Ankpa and Dekina), Ànyìgbá (Dekina), 'Idáh and Ìbàjì (Idah area) and Èbú (Oshimili). It has an official orthography; the New Testament appeared in 1935 and the Bible in 1970.
- An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020 edition) — Roger Blench, Kay Williamson Educational Foundation / McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, 2020 · link
- Glottolog language index (resourcemap) — Glottolog · 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: LANG-IGALA · Last updated 30 September 2026.
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