Alfa Mahaman Diobbo was an Islamic preacher, leader and the founder of the

Emirate of Say The Emirate of Say was an Islamic state founded in 1825 by Alfa Mohamed Diobo, a Qadiriyya Sufi leader who came to Say from Djenné (Mali) in 1810. Though Diobo was no conqueror, his control over Say was ensured by both his clerical renown and the ...

in Say,

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesFulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

marabout from Macina (Present-day Mali). Born in Bamba, a town located in the Niger loop, between

Gao Gao , or Gawgaw/Kawkaw, is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an impor ...

and

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...

. Having become a

marabout A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Saha ...

, he commenced the propagation of the Islam religion in that region.

Origin

The origin of his family and his route are still the subject of controversy. According to Moulaye Hassane, researcher at the Institute for Research in Human Sciences (IRSH) of the

Abdou Moumouni University Abdou Moumouni University (French: Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, UAM) was formerly the University of Niamey from 1974 to 1994. On the right bank of the Niger River in Niamey, its students and faculty have historically been involved in prote ...

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital di ...

, Alfa Mahaman Diobbo is the grandson of the great scholar Alfa Boubacar Salihou. His parents lived in Macina . The principality of Say had very close relations with

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 c ...

. During the reign of Alphaizé Boubacar (the successor to Mahaman Diobbo), Say acquired real political power and represented Sokoto's authority in the region. Under Say's moral and religious authority, many chiefdoms in the Nigerien region on both banks of the river adopted the title Amirou.

References

{{Reflist Nigerien religious leaders