Sokoto jihad and establishment Following the fall of the capital of the
Kebbi Kingdom,
Birnin Kebbi, to the
Sokoto jihadists in 1805, they moved to the Kebbi town of
Gwandu as their main base. At the time of the division, the western territories included the Niger valley down to
Nupe and extended as far west as
Dendi. They later expanded to include
Ilorin in the south and
Liptako in the west. It is possible that Abdullahi expected to extend farther west to include
Masina, but a separate caliphate was later declared there under
Ahmadu Lobbo. Henceforth, Sokoto and Gwandu became the twin capitals of the Caliphate, with Sokoto serving as the metropolitan center for the eastern territories and Gwandu for the west. When Abdullahi died in 1829, he was succeeded by his eldest son Muhammad Wani. During his reign, the
Kebbawa rebels remained a persistent threat. From their center at
Argungu, and under the leadership of
Sarkin Kebbi Karari, they waged armed resistance against Sokoto and Gwandu with support from the
Zabermawa and
Arewa. In 1831, a combined Sokoto–Gwandu force besieged
Argungu, and its inhabitants eventually capitulated, expelling Karari and his followers. Karari was pursued and killed shortly afterward. He was said to have been found by Gwandu forces seated on his shield in the posture of prayer. His son
Yakubu Nabame escaped capture but later surrendered, and was banished to Sokoto where he lived under the Caliph's supervision. Karari's death effectively suspended the
Kebbawa-led resistance movement against the Caliphate.
Period of 'peace' Wani was succeeded by his younger brother
Ibrahim Khalilu in 1833. He reigned for a quarter of a century, much of it involving a series of military expeditions. He first set out to end the threat posed by
Borgu to the southwest, whose forces had attacked
Kaoje, an important town famed for its horses. The battle was a disaster for the Gwandu forces, who were led by Muhammad Sambo, but they eventually regrouped and succeeded in driving the
Borgawa out of Kaoje. Among those killed was Abdullahi's youngest son, Isiaku. Around 1836, a combined Borgu–
Oyo force invaded
Ilorin, which had been in conflict with the Oyo Empire since its establishment earlier in the century. The Emir of Ilorin,
Abd al-Salam, appealed to Gwandu for reinforcements against the alliance. Consequently, a combined Sokoto and Gwandu force, led by
Muhammad Bukhari and Sambo respectively, was sent to defend the city. The attackers nearly routed the Caliphate's forces, but after the death of the leading Borgu commander Sero Kpera, Its markets also gained fame for the skill of their artisans. In 1841, Emir of
Bida Usman Zaki was chased out of his capital by his brother
Masaba, who rebelled alongside some princes from the old
Nupe dynasty. Upon receiving the news, Khalilu rode to
Rabba to resolve the crisis. Following discussions, Emir Khalilu appointed Masaba as emir, removed Zaki, and returned with him to Gwandu. from the
Hausa expression of condolence. There are a variety of possible explanations for Gwandu's non-resistance, including its relations with Argungu, the manner in which the British subdued other emirates, and Gwandu's prior experience of British aggression before the final invasion. The nearly century-long Kebbi wars had ravaged the region and greatly weakened Gwandu, especially during the reign of
Sarkin Kebbi Samaila III (1883–1915), whose skill in
guerrilla warfare was so effective that he was said to have captured more than ninety towns and villages. Both Gwandu and Argungu were so preoccupied with the wars that they paid little attention to the growing British threat until it was too late. Even by 1898, the rulers of Argungu "were inclined" to view the Europeans as allies against their common enemies, Gwandu and Sokoto.
Early years of colonial Indirect rule Emir Bayero Aliyu died soon after the British occupation.
Dan Galadima Muhammad Aliyu was immediately installed as emir on 18 May 1903, supervised by the
colonial Resident of the newly established Sokoto Province,
Alder Burdon. Soon after his appointment, he fell out with the British after naming his own
Dan Galadima without Resident Burdon's "sanction". However, Sultan
Attahiru II helped to crush the rebellion, while Muhammad contributed some of his troops. After Satiru was destroyed on 10 March, the British marched to Gwandu to depose the emir as earlier planned. On reaching the town, the British troops took
square formation and summoned the emir to come out of his compound. Acting Resident Goldsmith argued that this show of force was necessary, as the emir was likely to resist violently, stating that Muhammad "had made public to his followers that he was an old man now and valued his life of little account and his one ambition before he died was to kill a white man." After his deposition, Muhammad had to be forcibly placed on his horse when he refused to be taken to the protectorate's capital,
Zungeru, declaring that "he would rather die." His arrest appeared unpopular in Gwandu, with Goldsmith remarking that he "thought at one time that the men of the town would be encouraged on by the women to attempt his rescue." However, this never came, and Muhammad was banished to Zungeru without major interference. On 21 March, a day after Muhammad's arrest, the British appointed
Haliru, chief of Kalgo, as emir. His appointment undermined Gwandu's succession tradition. Previously, the
Dan Galadima had always succeeded the emir. Nor was Haliru eligible, as neither his father nor grandfather had ever reigned. His installation was so unpopular that the British moved the capital from Gwandu to
Birnin Kebbi. There were no violent protests, largely due to fear of reprisals after the aggressive British repression of the Satiru rebels. He was also active in convincing other emirs to accept the appointment of ministers in
Northern Nigeria. Remembered as one of the "progressive emirs" of the period, his reputation for
adalci (righteousness) had earned some fame beyond Northern Nigeria. Legislative and representative institutions were introduced at both regional and local levels, which reduced power of the Emir and his officials, whose decisions increasingly had to coexist with elected representatives in local government councils. In 1958, Emir Haruna became President of the
Northern Regional House of Chiefs, the upper chamber under the region's new bi-cameral system.
Umaru Gwandu, another member of the Gwandu ruling house, was elected Speaker of the regional lower chamber, the
House of Assembly in 1959. Both held their positions until the military coup of January 1966. and
Muhammadu Buhari during his military dictatorship in the 1980s. In June 2005, Emir Jokolo confronted President
Olusegun Obasanjo and accused him of unfairly marginalising Muslims. The president's office then reportedly called
Kebbi State Governor,
Adamu Aliero, and insisted on the emir's deposition. By mid June, Jokolo was deposed, replaced by his cousin
Muhammad Ilyasu-Bashar. At the time of his appointment, Ilyasu-Bashar was a retired general who twice served as military governor of the defunct
Gongola State. == Territory ==