HISTORY 101: Understanding the history of Jigawa state and its five emirates
By Maryam Jibril Yusuf
Jigawa is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the northern region of the country. Created on August 27, 1991 under the General Ibrahim Babangida military administration, the state was formerly part of Kano state and it forms part of Nigeria’s national border with the Republic of Niger.
The state whose capital city is Dutse has 27 local governments and is also the eighth largest state by population. Residents of Jigawa are predominantly of Hausa or Fulani background and majority of the residents are Muslim.
Based on the above, it’s one of the twelve states in the country governed by Sharia law. Jigawa State is famous for the Dutsen Habude cave paintings in the town of Birnin Kudu, which have been dated back to the Neolithic.
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Jigawa has major Emirates namely:
1. Dutse Emirate
2. Gumel Emirate
3. Ringim Emirate
4. Hadejia Emirate
5. Kazaure Emirate
Dutse Emirate: Dutse Emirate is a historical emirate council in Jigawa State. It traces its origins back to legends of early hunters and has been influenced by various rulers and events. The emirate’s history includes connections to the Sarkin Kano, periods of Fulani ascendancy, and adaptation to colonial-era changes. Muhammad Hameem Nuhu Sunusi born February 26, 1979), is a Nigerian monarch who is the current Emir of Dutse, the capital city of Jigawa State.
He was appointed as the 22nd Emir of Dutse in 2024, following the death of his father, Nuhu Muhammad-Sanusi, who was the 21st Emir of Dutse. He spent his early years in Kano State before relocating to Jigawa in 1995, following his father’s ascension to the position of Emir of Dutse.
Dutse (Dutsi, in earlier notes) got its name from the rocky topography peculiar to the area. Different forms of rocks can be seen widely spread across the town. Mostly igneous in nature, the rocky town got its name from this naturally endowed resource, Dutse (Hausa term for rock). Dutse and its environment are well known for Date Trees (Dabino) of different varieties. The area is characterised with undulating topography and hilly walls.
2. Gumel Emirate: Gumel or Gumal (as the natives call it) is a city and traditional emirate in Jigawa State, Nigeria. The emirate was founded about 1750 by Dan Juma and his followers from the Mangawa tribe. Shortly after he died in 1754, it became a tributary state of the Bornu kingdom. The emirate survived the Fulani attacks of Usman dan Fodio’s jihad in the early 19th century and never became part of the Fulani empire of Sokoto.
The present-day location of Gumel is the result of an 1845 move from the city of Tumbi, located in what is now Niger. The emirate has frequently been at war with the nearby cities of Hadejia, Danzomo, Kano, and Zinder since 1828. The war with Hadejia continued until Gumel’s emir, Abdullahi, died in 1872. Before Emir Ahmadu accepted British rule in 1903, frequent slave raids from the town of Zinder were common.
In 1976, Gumel became part of Kano State, and since 1991 it has been part of Jigawa State near Danzomo, Gagarawa, Sule Tankarkar, and Maigatari. His Royal Highness Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Sani II (CON) is the Current and 16th Emir of Gumel in Jigawa State. The Emir is a graduate of Political Science, Ohio State University, United States of America. The Emir has been in office since 1980.
Gumel town remains the area’s chief market centre for millet and sorghum as the staple foods and serves as a collecting point for peanuts (groundnuts), which are trucked to Kano city for export by rail. Gani Festival or Sallar Gani in Hausa Language, is an annual traditional festival celebrated in Gumel emirate. This festival is held in the same way as the Durbar festival of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The festival is held from the 12th of Rabi’al-Awwal annually in commemoration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Maulud Nabiy).
3. Ringim Emirate: Ringim emirate is the emirate council in Jigawa State, its headquarter is in the Ringim town. Ringim emirate was created in November 1991 as a result of the creation of Jigawa State on 27 August 1991. The Emir of Ringim is Sayyadi Abubakar Mahmoud Usman since the establishment of the emirate until now. The local governments under the emirate include Ringim, Taura, Garki and Babura.
The current Emir of Ringim, Alh. Sayyadi Abubakar Mahmoud Usman is the first Fulani Emir of Ringim. The Emir was the chairman co-operative of West Africa. Historically, Ringim Local Government is popular all over the country for its economic development. The area has fertile land for both wet and dry seasons farming activities.
The Local Government produces both subsistence and cash crops and also has a great number of fruit trees scattered along the bank of the river. In addition to the farming activities, the majority of the populace engaged in marketing. These economic resources enable most of the parents to possess means of paying their children’s school fees. The town was famous for its rich in groundnuts, tobacco production and trade, this motivated the British to construct a railway from Kano to Nguru via the town.
4. Hadejia Emirate: Haɗejiya (also Haɗeja, previously Biram) is a Hausa town in eastern Jigawa State, northern Nigeria Alhaji (Dr) Adamu Abubukar Maje is the current Emir of Hadejia. Hadejia shares boundary with Kiri Kasama Local Government to the east, Mallam Maɗori Local Government from to the north, and Auyo Local Government to the west.
The Hadejia Local Government consist of eleven (11) political wards, namely: Atafi, Dubantu, Gagulmari, Kasuwar Ƙofa, Kasuwar Kuda, Matsaro, Majema, Rumfa, Sabon Garu, Ƴankoli and Yayari. Inhabitants are dominantly Hausa, Fulani and Kanuri with some other groups such as Tiv, Yoruba, Igbo, Igala etc. The dominant occupation of the inhabitants is crop-farming and animal rearing, with a considerable percentage engaged in trading, fishing and services including civil service. The people of Haɗeja are largely Muslims, although some follow indigenous belief systems. The town lies to the north of the Hadejia River, and is upstream from the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands.
Hadejia was once known as Biram, and is referred to as one of the “seven true Hausa states” (Hausa Bakwai), because it was ruled by the descendants of the Hausa mythological figure Bayajidda and his second wife, Daurama. By 1810, during the Fulani War, the Hausa rulers of the Hausa Bakwai had all been overcome by the Fulani. Haɗeja had been transformed into an emirate two years earlier, in 1808. In 1906 Haɗeja resisted British occupation, under the then Emir (Muhammadu Mai-Shahada). Haɗejiya was absorbed into Jigawa State in 1991 from Kano State.
5. Kazaure Emirate: Kazaure is an Emirate and a Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the ancient city of Kazaure. The current Emir of Kazaure, is Alhaji Najib Hussaini Adamu. Kazaure was said to have been first settled by a group of Hausa (also known as Habe) hunter clan under the leadership of a warrior called Kutumbi. It was around the year 1300 CE. According to Oral Tradition passed down through the centuries by Griots, Kutumbi and his people were said to have migrated from the settlement of blacksmiths living on the Dala Hills-believed by historians to be the first inhabitants of the land now known as Kano.
The legend of Kazaure’s founding tells the story of how Kutumbi on one of his hunting expeditions found a valley surrounded by huge defensive plateaus rich with rivers and small streams. He stayed in the area for quite some time until his family became worried over his long absence which was contrary to his usual hunting habit, they followed his tracks for many days. After a long and arduous journey, they found Kutumbi in a beautiful valley. One of the new arrivals looked upon the nature of the land and exclaimed to another “Wannan Wajen Kamar Zaure!” (The translation of the Hausa phrase is “This place is like an inner room”). This expression “Kamar Zaure” was transformed over the centuries to Kazaure thus becoming the name of the settlement the Habe hunters founded at the site.
Kutumbi’s clan lived in the area for hundreds of years, they left archaeological evidence of their Hunter/Gatherer culture. They also practiced small-scale agriculture. The longest surviving trace of their presence was their religion; they worshiped a goddess called Tsumburbura to whom they made animal sacrifices at the top of Kazaure’s hills. Their practice lives on today in the spiritual songs and dances of Bori. It was not until the arrival of the Yarimawan Fulani however, that an administrative system was established in the area.
The city of Kazaure has been the emirate’s headquarters since 1819. It was founded by Dan Tunku, a Fulani warrior who was one of the 14 flag bearers for the Fulani jihad (holy war) leader Usman dan Fodio. Dan Tunku arrived from the nearby town of Dambatta at a stockaded village that he named Kazaure and established an emirate that was carved from the adjoining Kano, Katsina and Daura.
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