The
Itsekiri language is a major branch of the
Yoruboid group of languages, which as a group, is a key member of the
Volta–Niger sub-family of the
Niger–Congo family of
African languages. Itsekiri is spoken by nearly 900,000 people in
Nigeria as a first language and by many others as an additional language notably in the
Niger Delta and in parts of
Edo and
Ondo states of Nigeria. The other key members of the Yoruboid group are
Yoruba (22 million) and
Igala (1.8 million) along with the various Yoruba dialects spoken in
Benin and
Togo.