| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 5 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Nigeria | |
| Languages | |
| Gbagyi/Gwari | |
| Religion | |
| |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Nupe people, Yoruba, Igala, Ebira |
The Gbari or Gbagyi (plural - Agbari/Agbagyi)[1] are an ethnic group found predominantly in Central Nigeria with an estimated population of 12 million spread in four states, including Abuja, and located in thirty local government areas.[2] It is also the name of their language. Members of the ethnic group speak two dialects. While speakers of the dialects were loosely called Gwari by both the Hausa Fulani and Europeans during pre-colonial Nigeria[3] they prefer to be known as Gbagyi/Gbari. They live in the Niger, the Federal Capital Territory - Abuja, and Kaduna State.[4] They are also found in Nasarawa central Nigeria Area. Gbagyi/Gbari is one of the most populated ethnic groups in the middle belt and indigenous in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. This means Gbagyi people are the bonafide owners of the Nigerian capital city, Abuja.[5][6]
- ^ "Homeland Appears to be Between Niger and Benue Confluence". The African Guardian. January 1986. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
- ^ "Gbagyi philosophy and traditional objects - ACJOL.org". ACJOL.org. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ^ Shekwo, pp. 18.
- ^ Smith, B. J. (1981). "Slope Evolution in the Gwari Hills, Kaduna State, Nigeria". Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography. 2 (1): 57–67. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9493.1981.tb00119.x. ISSN 0129-7619.
- ^ Chigudu Tanko Theophilus (2008), A brief History of the Gbagyi Speaking People, an unpublished Article
- ^ Mefor, Law (16 December 2008). "Is FCT truly a federal zone?". Daily Independent. Nigeria: Independent Newspapers Limited (Lagos), via odili.net. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 2009-12-20.