Abstract Two hundred isolates of Lactobacillus were obtained from seven indigenous fermented foods namely: 'fufu' (fermented cassava), 'iru' (fermented African locust bean), 'kenkey' and 'ogi' (fermented maize), 'kunu-zarki' (fermented millet), 'ugba' (fermented African oil bean) and 'wara' (fermented skimmed cow milk). Lactobacillus species identified were Lacto bacillus casei (17.0%), L. lactis (4.5%), L. plantarum (41.5%), L. brevis (11.5%), L. jensenii (5.5%), L. acidophilus (3.5%) L. cellobiosus (5.0%), L. delbrueckii (2.5%), L. salivarius (3.5%), L. leichmannii (3.5%) and L. fermentum (2.0%). The commonest species isolated was L. plantarum. This paper highlight the importance of Lactobacillus in the processing of African fermented foods.