Potiskum Emirate
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The Potiskum Emirate (or Pataskum Emirate) is a traditional state in
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, with headquarters in
Potiskum Potiskum is the largest city in Yobe State and originally the town has about three major tribes which include a Ngizim, bolawa and kara-kare. It is one of the Local Government Area in Yobe State Nigeria, it is on the A3 highway at . History The ...
,
Yobe State Yobe is a state located in northeastern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on 27 August 1991. Yobe State was carved out of Borno State. The capital of Yobe State is Damaturu; and it's largest and most populated city is Poti ...
. The emir holds the title "Mai". The emirate was founded in 1809 by the Ngizim people. In 1913 the British colonial rulers merged it into the
Fika Emirate The Fika Emirate is a traditional state with headquarters in Potiskum, Yobe State, Nigeria. Dr. Muhammadu Abali Ibn Muhammadu Idrissa received his staff of office as 43rd Emir of Fika from Yobe governor Ibrahim Gaidam on 12 May 2010. The Emir ...
. In 2000 it was again made an independent emirate. Both the Fika and Potiskum emirates have their headquarters in the city of Potiskum.


Original emirate

The Potiskum Emirate was organized by the Ngizim people, who had subjugated the Karakare people. The state was formed in 1809 by a Chief of the Ngizim named Mai Bauya or Buyan. In the 19th century people of the
Misau Misau is a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Misau. It was founded by Hamman Mangan who ruled as an unofficial King for a period of 25 years at around 1850 AD. It has an area of 1,226 km and ...
emirate often raided the Kerikeri country. The Misau Emir Amadu (1834–1848) captured the capital, Potiskum. Usuman (1848–1861) and Sale (1861–1885) also raided the Kerikeri. In 1901 the Potiskum Emirate became part of the British Northern Nigeria Protectorate.


Within Fika Emirate

The neighboring Fika Emirate had been founded by the
Bolewa Bole (''bòo pikkà'', also known as Bolanchi, Ampika, Borpika, Bolewa, Bolawa) is a West Chadic language spoken in Nigeria. Dialects include Bara and Fika, spoken in the Fika Emirate The Fika Emirate is a traditional state with headquarte ...
, said to be Kanembu in origin. They moved to the area and subjugated the local Ngamo people, Kare kare people and Ngizim people. Fika town, the traditional capital, is about south of Potiskum. The Emir of Fika is one of the 1st Class Emirs of the Colonial and present day Northern Nigeria. In 1909 the western part of Potiskum was merged into the Fika Emirate, and on 13 May 1913 the eastern portion was also merged into Fika for administrative convince by the colonial rulers then. At the time of merger the Fika Emirate had a population of 25,400 including Bolewa, Ngizimawa, Ngamawa, and Karekare people, with an area of . The Potiskum Emirate had a population of 11,500 with an area of . The Fika Emirate thus had authority over the Bolewa, Ngizim and Ngamawa people of Fina and Gadaka . During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(1914–1918) there was some unrest against the colonial rule. In 1915 Potiskum town by the then ruler of Potiskum (Ngizim) . The ruler was deposed by the British. He managed to hold Potiskum for some time before government troops accompanied by ''dogarai'' from Fika defeated him in late May 1915. In the 1920s the main east-west road was built through Potiskum, which became a commercial and political center. The emir's court moved to Potiskum in 1924. In the 1950s the Ngizim and Karekare Union political association represented the subject people of Bornu province, allied with the
Northern Elements Progressive Union The Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) was the first political party in Northern Nigeria. Founded in Kano on 8 August 1950, it was the offshoot of a pre-existing political association called the Northern Elements Progressive Association. ...
(NEPU). The ruling Bolewa tribe was identified with the dominant
Northern People's Congress Northern People's Congress (NPC) is a political party in Nigeria. Formed in June 1949, the party held considerable influence in the Northern Region from the 1950s until the military coup of 1966. It was formerly a cultural organization known as J ...
(NPC). The Potiskum emirate was recreated by Yobe State governor Bukar Ibrahim on 5 August 1993, when he split the state's four emirates into 13. This change was reversed by the military regime of
Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He seized power on 17 November 1993 in the last successful c ...
that took control later that year.


Modern emirate

In his second term after the return to democracy, on 6 January 2000, Yobe Governor Bukar Ibrahim re-implemented the new emirates, adding Gazargamo, Gujba, Nguru, Tikau, Pataskum, Yusufari, Gudi, Fune and Jajere. There had been only four emirates when Yobe State was created. Now there were thirteen. The Emir of Fika, Muhammadu Abali, protested at the break-up of his emirate and took the government to court, but eventually accepted the change. In May 2007 the Emir of Potiskum, Umaru Bubaram Ibn Wuriwa Bauya, thanked the people for contributing N32 million of the N51 million used to build his new palace. The ultra-modern palace was commissioned by outgoing Governor Bukar Ibrahim. The palace was the scene of a gathering in January 2009 of political leaders including Senate President
David Mark David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark , is a retired Nigerian Army Brigadier General and politician. He was President of the Senate of Nigeria from 2007 to 2015 and was the Senator for Benue South Senatorial District Benue State. He is a member of th ...
, former Senate Presidents
Anyim Pius Anyim Anyim Pius Anyim (born 19 February 1961) is a Nigerian politician who served as president of the Nigerian Senate from 2000 to 2003, he was Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) during Goodluck Jonathan presidency. He was elected a ...
and
Adolphus Wabara Adolphus Nduneweh Wabara (born 1 June 1948) is a Nigerian politician and diplomat who served as the 10th Senate President of Nigeria from 2003 to 2005. A pioneer member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Adolphus had previously been a me ...
and many more, paying tribute to the governor of the state, Senator Mamman Bello Ali who had just died. In June 2010 the Emir of Potiskum gave the title of "Turakin Potiskum" to the state's former commissioner of finance, Alhaji Mohamed Hassan, in recognition of his contributions to the development of the state. In March 2011 Emir Umaru Bubaram gave his support to the campaign of Ibrahim Geidam for a second term as Yobe governor on the
All Nigeria Peoples Party The All Nigeria Peoples Party ( abbr. ANPP) was a political party in Nigeria. Under the leadership of Late Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke who was its vice presidential candidate to General Muhammadu Buhari in the 2007 presidential elections. The party ...
(ANPP) platform. In July 2010 Emir Umaru Bubaram supported a proposal by the Emir of Fika, Muhammadu Abali, to convert the old Potiskum Prison into a museum. In August 2012 during Ramadan the Pataskum Emirate Council distributed bags of millet and guinea corn to needy people under the Islamic
Zakat Zakat ( ar, زكاة; , "that which purifies", also Zakat al-mal , "zakat on wealth", or Zakah) is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam as a religious obligation, and by Quranic ranking, is ...
program. The food had been donated by people of the emirate.


Attacks

In May 2012 more than thirty people were killed in an attack in the Potiskum Market. At first linked to Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram, it was later thought that armed robbers were responsible. Emir Umaru Bubaram visited the scene and condemned the attack.


Boko Haram

A
mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...
occurred at a church in Potiskum on
25 December Events Pre-1600 * 36 – Forces of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han, under the command of Wu Han, conquer the separatist Chengjia empire, reuniting China. * 274 – A temple to Sol Invictus is dedicated in Rome by Emperor Aurel ...
2012. On 3 November 2014, a suicide bombing at a
Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...
march in Potiskum killed 15 people. On 10 November, a suicide bombing in a Potiskum secondary school caused the death of over 40 students. An angry mob refused to give soldiers or the State Police Commissioner access to the scene of the incident. The emirs of Fika and Potiskum said they had called on elders in their respective domains to educate the mob on the need to allow security personnel to operate. On 5 July 2015, five people and the attacker were killed in a suicide bombing in Potiskum. On 14 January 2020, a convoy of the Emir of Potiskum Umaru Bubaram and other travellers were attacked by gunmen on Kaduna-Zaria road causing the death of 30 people including four of the emir's aides. The emir escaped unharmed by quickly leaving his vehicle on the scene of the attack and trekking in the bush for two hours.


Rulers

From 1809 to 1858 the rulers took the title Kachalla. They were: *1809–1817 Bauya I *1817–1820 Awany (Awani) *1820–1825 Kuduskunai *1825–1830 Dungari (Dangari) *1830–1832 Dawi (Dowi) *1832–33 Darama (Kunancibai) *1833–34 Mele *1834–35 Malam Bundi I (died 1835) *1835–1856 Mizgai *1856–1858 Jaji I From 1858 the rulers took the title "Mai". They were: *1858–1866 Nego (Nejo) *1866–1893 Namiyanmda (Numainda) *1893–1902 Gabau (Gubbo) *1902–1909 Bundi II *1909 – 13 May 1913 Agudum Rulers under the Fika emirate were: *1913–1919 Jaji II (1st time) *1919–1924 Vungm *1924–1927 Gankiyau *1927–1933 Bundi III *1933 (3 months) Jaji II (2nd time) *1933–1957 Bauya II *1957–1984 Hassan *1984–1993 Shuaibu Rulers of the Pataskum emirate from 1993 to 1995 were: *5 June 1993 (53 days) Muhammad Atiyaye (b. 1934 – d. 1993) *5 August 1993 – 11 June 1995 Umaru Bubaram Ibn Wuriwa Bauya (b. 1942) After an interregnum from 1995 to 2000, the emirate was restored on 6 January 2000. Rulers since then: *6 January 2000 – Umaru Bubaram Ibn Wuriwa Bauya (restored)


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Nigerian traditional states Emirates Nigerian traditional states
Emirate An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalen ...