... To trace the political history of Hadejia emirate from the beginning of 19th century to the early part of 20th century. During the above period, two fundamental issues became very important in determining the history of the area. The two issues were the Jihad waged and led by the intelligentsia (mainly Fulani) in the area and British occupation of the area. Before the outbreak of the Jihad in 1804, Hadejia region was organized into seven 7 semi-independent principalities. The transformation of the seven 7 principalities into a single centralized political structure Emirate was started by Muhammad Sambo, who led the Jihad in the area. Muhammad Sambo succeeded in unifying four of the seven 7 polities to form Hadejia Kingdom while the remaining three 3 principalities, namely: Fagi, Dawa, and Marma were united by his causin Larmina and formed the Marma Kingdom.
In 1860s, Sarkin Hadejia Abubakar Buhari captured and incorporated Marma Kingdom into the Hadejia emirate, thus bringing the emirate to its present structure and size. www.sginsau.blogspot.com
The coming of Sarki Buhari to power in 1848, marked an important phase in the political history of the emirate. People of servile background were giving titles. Such people came to play a dominant role in the political history of the area. This development followed the method by which Buhari ascended the throne at the expense of his senior brother Ahmadu in defiance of the traditional succession system of the emirate. The controversy which followed the coming of Buhari to power, sowed the fratricidal strife in the family of Sambo. www.sginsau.blogspot.com
The coming of Buhari to power with its controversy led Sokoto to be directly involved in the internal affairs of Hadejia emirate more than anytime. The immediate effect of this was the which led to the defeat of the combined Caliphate forces by Buhari at the battle of Kafur. The military success of Buhari against the Caliphate forces gave him free hand to pursue an expansionist policy against the neighbour and broke relations with Sokoto. From that period until the outbreak of Hadejia Revolt in 1906, the political system of Hadejia came to be dominated by warring officers mostly servile origin. www.sginsau.blogspot.com
Despite peaceful occupation of Hadejia by the British in 1905, the Hadejia refused all overtures at negotiation with the British resulting in the outbreak of Hadejia revolt in 1906 that led to the forceful formal occupation of the emirate after the revolt ushered in a new political and administrative power - sharing in the area. The British formalized their occupation through the control of the machinery of appointment and disposition of administrative offices in the emirate including that of the Emir. For example, the first action of the British after the occupation of the emirate was the appointment of Chiroma Haru as the new Emir of Hafejia. This was a breach of the custom of giving Caliph of Sokoto the prerogative of confirming the emirate Emir. The action marked for the formal loss of sovereignty of the emirate to the British. www.sginsau.blogspot.com
The British established a new political system in which the power now revolved around the British representative, the district officer (D.O) under the system, the Emir was now the head of a colonial bureaucracy that could not point or dismiss administrative officials without consulting the D.O to attest their new power, the British structured Sarki Haru to abolish the leading war title of Jarma and Sarkin Yaki to create two new ones in their palace, namely Dan Iya and Tafida.
This laid the base for the establishment of the British administration in the area. Taskar Suleiman GINSAU
Reference:
Adeleye, R.A: Power and Diplomacy 1804-1906, longman London, 1977
Barth, H. Travels and Discovery in Northern and Central Africa Vol. 3, London 1857
Hogben S. & A.H.M The Emirate of Northern Nigeria: A Kirk Greene Preliminary survey of their Historical Traditional, London, 1966
M. U Mustapha: A short History of Hadejia 1800-1906
Suleiman Ginsau: Ruwan Atafi, 2015
Cook A.N: British Enterprises in Nigeria Frank Cass & Co. Ltd, London 1964
Mani Abdulmalik: Zuwan Turawa Nijerita ta Arewa Zaria, 1956
Good.
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