07/07/2026
THE AFIZERE: CHILDREN OF THE HILLS, KEEPERS OF JOS
There is a people on the Jos Plateau who chose the hills — not out of weakness, but out of wisdom.
They are the Afizere. And their story is one of resilience, identity, and unbreakable roots.
The Afizere people — also known by the exonym Jarawa — occupy Jos East, Jos North, parts of Jos South, and Mangu Local Government Areas of Plateau State, as well as parts of Toro and Tafawa Balewa Local Government Areas of Bauchi State. They are a people spread across hills and valleys, yet bound together by one language, one heritage, and one unshakeable identity.
A PEOPLE WHO CHOSE THE HIGH GROUND
The Afizere previously settled in the Chawai region of southern Kaduna State. Over time, some groups moved southward — the first settling at the foot of the hills called Gwash, close to the current location of the Jos Museum.
During the pre-colonial period, the Afizere lived in hilly terrains surrounding the Jos Plateau as a deliberate defense mechanism — protection against jihadist attacks during and after the Fulani Jihad.
Read that again. These were not people hiding in fear. These were a strategic people — choosing terrain as their fortress, hills as their shield. They understood the threat and they responded with intelligence.
MORE THAN 500,000 STRONG
More than 500,000 Afizere people, distributed over 16 major traditional districts, inhabit territories within Jos North, Jos East, and Mangu in Plateau State, and Tafawa-Balewa and Toro Local Government Areas in Bauchi State.
Their chieftaincy system is traditional and gerontocratic — headed by an Agwom and supported by five district heads representing the five royal families of the Afizere: Fobur, Forsum, Maigemu, Shere, and Federe. Long before colonialism invented bureaucracy, the Afizere had systems.
A LANGUAGE THAT TRAVELED THE WORLD
The Afizere speak Izere, considered part of the Benue-Congo language group prominent in Central Nigeria, spoken in five different dialects.
And their culture has not stayed hidden in the hills. Their traditional dance — Asharuwa — has been performed in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Ukraine, and Kenya.
A people from the Plateau hills — dancing on stages across five continents. That is not a small people. That is a great people.
HUNTERS, FARMERS, AND FIGHTERS
The Afizere are fundamentally hunters and practitioners of pastoral farming — a people deeply connected to the land, to the animals, and to the rhythms of nature.
And they have never stopped fighting for what is theirs. In Plateau State, the indigenous groups — mostly the Berom, Anaguta, and Afizere — have consistently struggled to maintain political control of their territories against encroachment.That struggle is not tribalism. It is survival.
RECOGNIZED AS TRUE INDIGENES OF JOS
History and scholarship are unambiguous. The Afizere, Anaguta, and Berom are the three ethnolinguistic groups indigenous to Jos — recognized as the original inhabitants of the land that became Nigeria's beloved Plateau State.
A formal declaration confirms this clearly — conceding to the claim of the Afizere, Anaguta, and Berom tribes, declaring that they are the true indigenes of Jos.
This is not opinion. This is documented, recognized history.
A CULTURE STILL ALIVE
The Afizere have a rich tradition of dance — Asharuwa performed by young men, Amata by women, Agba during royal ceremonies, Asurbe during the funeral rites of elders, and Natoo abarshi sung on the farm during harvest. Their kings wear the kukpra and carry the akbong — a ceremonial staff — while priests carry the same but with a two-stranded staff, distinguishing sacred authority from royal authority.
This is a civilization. Not a tribe to be dismissed. Not a minority to be erased. A civilization with art, governance, language, spirituality, and soul.
TO EVERY SON AND DAUGHTER OF AFIZERE
Your hills were not a hiding place. They were a declaration: We are here. We have always been here. And we are not leaving.
The world is watching Plateau State. Make sure it sees the Afizere — standing tall, as they always have.
🤝 Tag a proud Afizere today. Share their story. Honor their roots.
