Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an emerging disease of public health concern in Nigeria. There has been growing speculation about rural dwellers not being susceptible to this ailment due to their lifestyle. However, this could be attributed to the paucity of data obtained from rural communities. This community-based survey was conducted to provide recent data about the prevalence of DM in a rural community in Northern Nigeria.

Purposive sampling was used to recruit 78 participants from about 200 adults within the community in September 2019. Consent was obtained to retrieve their blood glucose results and socio-demographic data from an out-patient clinic. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Over half (55%) of the respondents were male, while majority (88%) were involved in agrarian professions. Majority (69%) of the respondents were between 18 to 35 years, while around 10% were over 50 years. The respondents had an average blood glucose level of 5.20 ± 0.62 mmol/L, with 6.50 mmol/L as the maximum reading. The prevalence of DM was 0.0%, majority (68%) had normal glucose level, while the remainder had pre-diabetes glucose levels. There were no statistically significant associations between the respondents’ blood glucose level and any of their socio-demographic characteristics. However, the oldest respondents, male respondents, and traders had the highest blood glucose levels in their respective categories.

The absence of a healthcare center in the community was of concern, as this would impede efforts to monitor the prevalence of non-communicable disease like DM. It is recommended that health interventions to discourage the rural dwellers from embracing adverse urban lifestyles associated with DM should be prioritized.