62 A HISTORY OF THE REGION COMPRISING THE KATAGUM DIVISION OF KANO PROVINCE (C*ntiM**4 fr*m p. 431, VoL X.) Kano Civil War. THE Yakin Yusubenchi, or Kano Civil War of 1893, of course affected all the neighbouring provinces, and did more than anything else to weaken the Sokoto influence. Sarkin Gumel alone gave active assistance in the fighting. Sarkin Hadeija gave his support to Yusufu, who promised him the districts of Miga and Kwenda if he should be successful. Sarkin Gumel, Abu, was also on Yusufu's side, but Gumel and Hadeija were not on such good terms that they cared to fight as allies; when therefore they met Yusufu at Gun- duawa, Sarkin Hadeija returned home and only sent gifts of horses and weapons, receiving return presents of slaves cap- tured in the war; but on his journey to Hadeija he did some pillaging on his own account. A great number on both sides were enslaved; as many as from ten to twenty slaves were given for one horse; and, corn being very scarce, 30,000 or 40,000 cowries were enough to buy a slave. Katagum took no part, but a certain amount of trade was carried on secretly with Yusufu's people. After the taking of Gaia, Yusufu returned to his head- quarters at Takai, and died at Gerko, after appointing his young brother Aliu to succeed him. Gumel continued to help Aliu in the fighting outside the capital at Gezi and Feggi, but was not present at the final conflict, "Yakin Tafashia." When the war was over and Aliu installed, Hadeija pressed his claim to the Miga and Kwenda districts, but Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article-abstract/XI/XLI/62/118399 by Mount Royal College user on 21 January 2018 HISTORY OF THE KATAGUM DIVISION OF KANO PROVINCE 63 Aliu said that he had not fulfilled the conditions of the agreement. Hadeija then seized these places and they were subject to Hadeija till the British occupation of Kano in 1903, after which the present Emir of Kano claimed them, and they were restored. During these nine years there was continual trouble over this question, and border fighting was incessant. Hadeija traders went to Kano at the risk of their lives, and the only way was either by Gumel or by Shira. Kano traders, on the contrary, were not discouraged, as Hadeija could not afford to do without them; and Sarkin Hadeija proclaimed that anyone seizing a Kano trader would suffer death. The most serious engagements were at Sherkawa, east of Gujungu, where the Hadeija forces under Sarkin Yaki Jarma and Makaman Shameki drove off those of Kunchi, inflicting considerable damage; at Kwenda, where Sarkin Auyo killed Sarkin Dusi; and near Kwenda, where Hadeija suffered defeat from Sarkin Ringim. At Sokwawa there were continual engagements of a minor kind between Sarkin Ringim and Galadima Adamu of Hadeija. The latter, and Sarkin Jafum Maddibo, who had married Sarkin Hadeija's daughter, were in favour of making peace, and there was a truce at one time while Sarkin Jafum took the Galadima in to Kano. But neither of the chiefs would give way on the main point at issue. This struggle never developed into open war, and the chiefs themselves did not take the field. SECTION XII. Civil War in Katagum. The last and perhaps the most burdensome of the D«nger troubles that arose from the proximity of Bornu was the|2^ Rabeh era, incidentally leading to a civil war in Katagum, from which the country has never recovered. Sarkin Musselmi Abdu, strongly backed in this matter by Sarkin Kano Aliu, refused access to Bornu traders, and stopped any Communication with Bornu. Rabeh's drummers made the Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article-abstract/XI/XLI/62/118399 by Mount Royal College user on 21 January 2018 64 JOURNAL OF THE AFRICAN SOCIETY saying popular, "conquer Bornu and then comes Kano," and it was a paramount necessity to prevent trade in gun- powder which Rabeh's people wanted. The initial result was that the trade began to concentrate at Katagum. Sarkin Haji was instructed to put a stop to this. Afraid of disobeying his overlord on the one hand, and, on the other, of offending his neighbour, who menaced him from the east, he removed the market to Gamawa, which lies one day east of Katagum, an outpost on what was then the chief Bornu high road. Sarkin Kano requested him to pillage any Kano traders found making use of this market, and to send any large traders to Kano under arrest, but Haji said he could not bring himself to treat fellow Muhammadans in such a way. He died, however, shortly after, and his son Abdu, and the latter's son Mohamadu, had no such scruples. G«n»w«. Meantime Beri-beris in crowds, fugitives from Bornu, kept coming to seek refuge in Katagum, and the increased walls of many a town bear witness to this immigration. Gamawa especially became an important centre; the town was doubled and a special wall built to include the new market. Slaves, cattle, natron and salt were the chief imports from Bornu, and from.the west came gunpowder, corn, kolas, and cloth. A large revenue was acquired from tolls, a considerable part of which .was taken by Sarkin Gamawa Magaji Sambo dan Alkali Adamu, who, mindful of possible contingencies, kept on good terms with Rabeh's officers and sent Rabeh pre- sents. But he got too big for his position, and -when Sarkin Abdu sent him instructions to prevent Kano traders doing business, he refused to take action; the Katagum toll-col- lector, Sarkin Zongo, then left Gamawa as the Sarki was taking up a rebellious attitude. Abdu, of course, lost the revenue from tolls, but he made up for this by seizing the goods of all Kano traders and taking any slaves that were with them. A circumstance now arose which brought matters to a crisis and gave Sarkin Gamawa his opportunity. Abdu's son Mohamadu (the late Emir), then Sarkin Sokwa, was Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article-abstract/XI/XLI/62/118399 by Mount Royal College user on 21 January 2018 HISTORY OF THE KATAGUM DIVISION OF KANO PROVINCE 65 acting in a very high-handed manner, committing every kind of extortion in any district he chose. His father took no notice of complaints that arose, being in this respect unlike his own father Haji, who had frequently summoned him from Shira. Matters became unbearable; and, on one occasion when Mohamadu was returning from one of the Kano Ningi expeditions, he was refused admittance to a village called Zubeki, whose headman, a relation of Sarkin Shira, was determined to prevent the place being plundered. Mohamadu made his way in by force, took everything that was to be taken, and carried the headmen into Katagum, where Abdu let him go, on receiving protests from Sarkin Shira and Sarkin Azare. The two latter, the Yeriman Chinade and Sarkin Udabo, each sent to Sarkin Musselmi, who sent for Sarkin Abdu. The latter sent first Waziri (afterwards Madaiki) Adamu, then Wazirin Katagum Saidu, each of whom the Sarkin Musselmi refused to receive. Abdu would not go himself, and the Sarkin Musselmi then gave instructions to the Kata- gum chiefs that they were to place themselves under the Yeriman Chinade, and that Katagum was to be boycotted. Sarkin Hadeija Moma was told to give support to this action; Hardawa alone stood by Abdu, and this led to serious fighting between Hardawa and Chinade and deser- tion of their villages, whose inhabitants took refuge in the towns. Sarkin Gamawa had acquired much local power and a large Beri-beri following. He entered . into negotiations with the Yerima, and the scheme was to advance to Sokwa and then to Katagum, where Abdu and his people would be blockaded and starved into submission. Sarkin Gamawa is supposed to have had ambitions regarding the Katagum Sarota, encouraged by the example of Rabeh and the grow- ing tendency towards independence of Sokoto. Sarkin Gamawa marched as far as Godia, when the Kata- y«kin gum forces came out to the attack under Mohamadu, who G*™*1™- had no mind to sit still at Sokwa. The forces under the Yerima were at Madara, south of Godia, not having yet joined up with Sarkin Gamawa. The latter was driven back 6 Vol. 11 Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article-abstract/XI/XLI/62/118399 by Mount Royal College user on 21 January 2018 66 JOURNAL OF THE AFRICAN SOCIETY at Bagalu, west of Godia, and retreated to Gamawa; the Katagum forces also made east and camped at Korori close by. Yerima Chinade, accused of cowardice by Sarkin Gamawa, went back and sent conciliatory messages to Katagum. Fighting at Gamawa was imminent when a report came that Moma Sarkin Hadeija was coming to attack Katagum. Mohamadu concentrated on Katagum at once, but Moma's forces did not come, the chief having been persuaded to desist by his Galadima Adamu. Instead he sent to both Katagum and Gamawa, in order to reconcile them, but the latter refused to consider any such proposal. Sarkin Hadeija then sent some few reinforcements under one Moma Sali to Gamawa, and the Katagum chiefs also sent contin- gents, but did not themselves join him. Forty days after the first fighting at Godia, the Gamawa and Katagum forces met again at Malamri, north of Gamawa. A number were killed on both sides, including Sarkin Gamawa. Victory was with Katagum, and a large booty was taken from the traders collected at Gamawa, but the town was not touched.