Abu Bakr Atiku ( ar, أبو بكر أتيكو; 1782–1842) was the third Sultan of the Sokoto Caliphate, reigning from October 1837 until November 1842.

Early years

Abu Bakr Atiku dan Shehu was born to the second wife of

Usman dan Fodio Usman Ɗan Fodio ( ar, عثمان بن فودي, translit=ʿUthmān ibn Fodio; 15 December 1754 – 20 April 1817) was a Fulani scholar, Sunni Islamic religious teacher, revolutionary, and philosopher who founded the Sokoto Caliphate and ruled ...

in 1782. He was involved, as were all his siblings, in studies directed by his father in

Degel Degel is a town in northern Nigeria. Once a part of the Hausa city-state of Gobir, Degel is particularly noted for being the home of Fulani Islamic reformer Usman dan Fodio from 1774 to 1804. Dan Fodio built a large following in the area until, ...

until the family and some followers were exiled in 1804. Like his brother

Muhammed Bello Muhammadu Bello ( ar, محمد بلو) was the second Sultan of Sokoto and reigned from 1817 until 1837. He was also an active writer of history, poetry, and Islamic studies. He was the son and primary aide to Usman dan Fodio, the founder of the ...

and his sister

Nana Asma’u Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname * Nana ( ...

, he dedicated significant part of his early years to study and wrote poetry, history, and on

Islamic studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

. Many of his works of history and poetry survive and are considered key texts of the era. In 1815, when

died, he briefly contested his brother

for control of the Sokoto Caliphate. The bloodless succession struggle ended with Bello the Sultan of the Caliphate and Atiku imprisoned for one year. When he was released, he became and adviser to Mohammed Bello for the remainder of Bello's life.

Sultan

Atiku became the Sultan in 1837 when his brother

died. Atiku was disliked by some of the Emirs of the Caliphate who tried to organize for other candidates, but Atiku was quickly named the successor to his brother. Atiku attempted to reverse some of the policies of Bello that he considered extravagant. He banned dancing and music and made instruction in the Caliphate much more rigid. In addition, although Bello had operated his administration out of Wurno for the final years of his life, Atiku moved the capital back to

Sokoto Sokoto is a major city located in extreme northwestern Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the ...

. However, his reign was highly unpopular to both the population and the Emirs of the Caliphate. At the end of his reign, the tension came to a fore when he recognized an autonomous leader carving out the

Adamawa Emirate The Adamawa Emirate (Fula: Lamorde Adamaawa 𞤤𞤢𞤥𞤮𞤪𞤣𞤫 𞤢𞤣𞤢𞤥𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤢; ar, إمارة أداماوة; german: Adamaua; french: Adamaoua) is a traditional state located in Fombina, an area which now roughly cor ...

Modibo Adama Adama ɓii Ardo Hassana (1786 – 1847), more commonly known as Modibbo Adama, was a Fulani scholar and holy warrior, who hailed from the Ba'en clan of Fulbe. He led a jihad into the region of Fombina (in modern-day Cameroon and Nigeria), openin ...

has fought in the

Fulani war The Fulani War of 1804–1808, also known as the Fulani Jihad or Jihad of Usman dan Fodio, was a military conflict in present-day Nigeria and Cameroon. The war began when Usman Dan Fodiyo, a prominent Islamic scholar and teacher, was exiled ...

with Atiku's father Usman dan Fodio. Atiku saw an opportunity to support a ruler more loyal to him in Hamman Sambo and so recognized an independent Emirate under Hamman Sambo that took a significant part of the Adamawa territory. Adama threatened to leave the Sokoto Caliphate and instead join the

Ottoman Caliphate The Caliphate of the Ottoman Empire ( ota, خلافت مقامى, hilâfet makamı, office of the caliphate) was the claim of the heads of the Turkish Ottoman dynasty to be the caliphs of Islam in the late medieval and the early modern era. ...

as a result of the situation. The Adamawa Emirate was close to civil war until emissaries arrived revealing that Atiku had died and his successor had quickly reversed the decision to recognize Sambo. Atiku was wounded during a campaign he led against the die-hards of "Tsibiri" in the autumn of 1842. He would succumb from his wounds on November 23, 1842, and was succeeded by his nephew Ali Babba bin Bello, one week after his death.

Lineage

One of his sons was Ahmadu Atiku, the fifth Sultan, and another son was `Abd ar-Rahman dan Abi Bakar, the eleventh Sultan of the Sokoto Caliphate. His grandson was Muhammadu Attahiru I, final sultan of the independent Sokoto Caliphate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abu Bakr Atiku 1782 births 1842 deaths Sultans of Sokoto 19th-century rulers in Africa 19th-century Nigerian people Dan Fodio family 18th-century Nigerian people