History of Central Africa






In the early 19th century, USMAN DAN FODIO, Sultan of Sokoto, waged a jihad against non-Muslims. One of his commanders, MODIBBO ADAMA, expanded Sokoto rule eastward, establishing the Emirate which came to be known as ADAMAWA, with the capital at Gurin, in 1830 moved to Ribadu, in 1839 to Jobolio and in 1841 to YOLA. The Emirate of Adamawa remained subject to Sokoto. Numerous Laminates (smaller sultanates) in turn were subject to the Emirate of Adamawa at Yola.
The Adamawa Fulani were zealous Muslims, like the Sokoto Fulani centered on walled towns and trying to rule over the surrounding peoples whom they often raided in order to acquire slaves; the last independent Emir, Zubeiru, was an active slave raider.
From the 1850es onward, European explorers visited Adamawa; in the 1890es, the British ROYAL NIGER COMPANY, French and German explorers competed for obtaining treaties with the Emir (Lamido). The Emir of Adamawa was suspicious of the Europeans; several explorers, among them Macguire and Vogel, ended up murdered (1855).
In 1901 Britain and Germany partitioned the Emirate, the larger part of it became part of German KAMERUN, the smaller western part, with the capital Yola, part of British NORTHERN NIGERIA. The Germans established a MILITARY RESIDENTURE in GARUA, close to Yola, where they stationed 1 company of soldiers, obviously to discourage the Adamawans from rising in revolt.

After 1901, the Emirs at Yola had to accept British domination; Bobo Ahmadu Ahmadu was deposed and exiled in 1909. The larger part of their territory, now located in German Kamerun was lost to their influence, only a part of it being granted to Britain by the League of Nations in 1922 as a part of the mandate of British Cameroons.



Adamawa's Emirs
Independent Emirate Emirate of Yola
under British Protection
1806-1848
1848-1872
1872-1890
1890-1901 		Adama
Lawal
Sanda
Zubeiru 		1901-1909
1909-1910
1910-1924
1924-1928
1928-1946
1946-1953 		Bobo Ahmadu
Iya
Abba
Muhammadu Bello
Mustafa
Ahmadu






EXTERNAL
FILES 		The Jihad in Adamawa and Bauchi, Chapter o of H.A.S. Johnson, The Fulani Empire of Sokoto (1967)
R.C. Henning, The Rise and the Fall of the Adamawa Emirate, from Africa Online
webadamawa
DOCUMENTS Flag of the Sultanate of Adamawa 1806, from Historical Flags : Nigeria Old and Modern Native States, simple green of Islam, same as given for Bornu
Map of 1890 from Ecyclopaedia Britannica, Am. 1890 edition, Perry Castaneda Library, UTexas; has independent Sultanate of Adamawa within German sphere of interest
Map of 1892 from Gardiner's Atlas of English History 1892, has Adamawa as within German sphere of interest, capital Yola as British
Article Adamaua, P.1 (102), P.2 (103), from Meyers Konversationslexikon, 1888-1890, in German
REFERENCE A.H.M. Kirk-Greene, Adamawa past and present - an Historical Approach to the Development of a Northern Cameroons Province, Oxford : University Press 1958, 230 pp.



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on November 6th 2004

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