In vitro studies revealed  that five (5) strains of lactobacillus acidophilus isolated from naturally fermented yoghurt locally known as dahi, possess probiotic characteristics, such as acid or bile tolerance, haemolytic activity, pancreatic enzyme tolerance and to some extent have antimicrobial activity against pathogenic strains such as Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus as well as the Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These results might suggest that these strains are good candidates for further investigation both with in vivo studies to elucidate their potential health benefits and in dairy fermentation processes to assess their technological performance as novel probiotic starters.