The Eloyi (also called Afao, Afo, Afu, Aho, Epe, Keffi) are an ethnic group of central Nigeria. About 100,000 people identify themselves as Eloyi. They are related to the Idoma ethnic group.
Ajiri or Eloyi tribe, other names include Afo or Afu commonly used by the British colonialists.
The Eloyi (Ajiri) peopleare mostly found in Awe, Nasarawa, Kokona Government Areas (LGAs) of Nasarawa State and the Otukpo LGA of Benue State.
As of 2000 it was reported that there were 60,000 people who speak the Eloyi language. Ajiri is an Idomoid branch of the Benue-Congo group. Although in modern times Many native speakers have adopted Hausa as their second or primary language.
According Peoplegroups.org, 2025, the Eloyi of Nigeria are numbering 46,000
Traditionally, most of the Eloyi lived in a 15 miles (24 km) range of rocky hills in what today is Nasarawa State. They revolted against the British in 1918, and were then forced to leave their homeland. Today they are scattered in different parts of Nasarawa and Benue states, although some have moved back to the original hills. The British divided the Eloyi into ten village areas in 1932, appointing a head for each village, but these village heads were not recognized by the Eloyi.
The Eloyi are one of the more economically advanced of the Benue Valley tribes. In the hills they grow guinea corn, cotton, yams, and tobacco. They practice in weaving and dying, producing cloth that is much in demand and can be traded. They are also blessed with one of the biggest Natural resources (Solid Mineral) deposit in Nasarawa State. The Eloyi villages in the hills are made up of round huts with conical thatched roofs grouped around a central courtyard. In the plains the Eloyi are mostly farmers, selling dried fish and palm oil for cash. The plains Eloyi build large houses within compounds and fortify their villages.
The village is the largest political unit, independent of its neighbors. A chief is assisted by a council of elders in administering the village and resolving disputes. The gado is the father of the village, the authority on customs and law, in charge of planting and harvest rites.
To most Eloyi, the village community is everything, and the tribe is nothing. No tribal organizations have been found among them. Each village has a stubborn independence of the next, causing frequent tension within the Eloyi tribe as a whole.
The village chief and council of elders handle most village affairs and try cases. However, the gado is the father of the community and the final authority on Eloyi custom. He orders the performance of village planting and harvest rites, which are carried out on the grave of their ancestors. He also decides questions of law.
The Eloyi live in compact villages or towns; some of them walled. The larger villages are divided into wards, which are sometimes separated into distinct hamlets. In the hills, round huts with conical thatched roofs serve as Eloyi houses. They are grouped in a compound around a central courtyard, which serves as a place for social gatherings and relaxation. The plains people fortify their villages and construct large houses, adopting the Hausa pattern of compounds.
In the present day most ajiri people are largely farmers, especially cultivating in cash crops for commercial purposes.
They are gradually becoming integrated into a larger national and global commercial economy. As a consequence, in comparison to some other tribes in the Benue Valley, the Eloyi are more economically advanced. The Eloyi in the hills plant guinea corn, cotton, yams and tobacco. They specialize in weaving and dyeing since there is a high local demand for cloth. They travel far distances to trade their surplus goods. The Eloyi of the plains, however, are mostly farmers who trade only on a small scale. They obtain cash from the export of palm oil and dried fish. Eloyi men hunt, clear the land for agriculture, and do most of the fishing and large-scale trading. Women trade at the local level, often making more money than their husbands. They also help in cultivation and perform most household responsibilities, such as caring for children and preparing meals.
Although a small number of the Eloyi have become Muslim, the majority continue to practice their traditional beliefs. The Eloyi believe in the impersonal god, Owo. The cult of Owo is personal and not a group affair. Owo is symbolized by either a white silk cotton tree or a fig tree, depending on the location in which a particular Eloyi lives.
Ancestor worship (the belief that the spirits of deceased ancestors are alive and need to be fed and cared for) is important in Eloyi life. In their worship they wear masks to impersonate ancestors. They also engage in witchcraft, magic, and divination with
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