Abubakar Garbai
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Abu Bakr ibn Ibrahim Kura al-Kanemi, known as Abubakar Garbai, was the last '' shehu'' of the
Kanem–Bornu Empire The Kanem–Bornu Empire was an empire based around Lake Chad that once ruled areas which are now part of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, and Chad. The empire was sustained by the prosperous trans-Saharan trade and was one of the ...
, ruling in 1900 and in 1901–1902. He later served as the first ''shehu'' of the
Borno Emirate The Borno Emirate or Sultanate, sometimes known as the Bornu Emirate, is a traditional Nigerian state that was formed at the start of the 20th century. It is headed by the descendants of the rulers of the Bornu Empire, founded before 1000. The r ...
, a traditional state under the British
Northern Nigeria Protectorate Northern Nigeria ( Hausa: ''Arewacin Najeriya'') was a British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914, and covered the northern part of what is now Nigeria. The protectorate spanned and included the emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate ...
and later Nigeria Protectorate, in 1902–1922.


Life

Abubakar Garbai was the brother of Sanda Kura, who he joined in 1898 in the struggle against the Sudanese warlord
Rabih az-Zubayr Rabih az-Zubayr ibn Fadl Allah (; c. 1842 – April 22, 1900), also known as Rabih Fadlallah and usually known as Rabah in French, was a Sudanese warlord and slave trader who established a powerful empire east of Lake Chad, in today's Chad. B ...
, who had occupied the Kanem–Bornu Empire in 1893. After the defeat of Rabih at the
battle of Kousséri A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...
in 1900, Sanda Kura was installed with French support as Kanem–Bornu's new ruler at Dikwa, az-Zubayr's former capital. Sanda Kura agreed to French demands for monetary compensation, a large fee of 30,000 Maria Theresa dollars but was dissatisfactory to the French authorities in other ways, exhibiting notable cruelty to his former enemies and refusing French demands to drive away the
Baggara Arabs The Baggāra ( "heifer herder"), also known as Chadian Arabs, are a Nomad, nomadic confederation of people of mixed Arabs, Arab and Arabization, Arabized Indigenous peoples of Africa, indigenous African ancestry, inhabiting a portion of the Sa ...
. The French withdrew their recognition of Sanda Kura as ''shehu'', having him arrested and replaced with his more pliable brother Abubakar Garbai in July/August 1900. Abubakar Garbai was installed at Dikwa and agreed to pay the remaining sum owed to the French (21,000 Maria Theresa dollars) and to drive away the Baggara Arabs. Meanwhile, Rabih az-Zubayr's son Fadlallah tried to secure British support as ruler of Bornu. Abubakar Garbai tried to assert his rule as ''shehu'' by sending an army led by the eunuch Mestrema Musa to occupy the city of
Maiduguri Maiduguri ( ) is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria, on the continent of Africa. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the ''Firki'' swamps in the areas around Lake Chad. Maid ...
, within the British colonial sphere of influence. Fadlallah beat Musa to Maiduguri, reaching the city on 26 November, and was able to defeat Musa's 1,500-strong army with minimal losses. Fadlallah had Maiduguri burnt and marched on Dikwa. Abubakar Garbai and most of Dikwa's population fled to
Ngala Ngala is a local government area of Borno State, Nigeria, adjacent to the border with Cameroon. Its headquarters are in the town of Gamboru Ngala. It has an area of 1,465 km and a population of 237,071 at the 2006 census. The postal code ...
and Fadlallah retook the capital without opposition on 30 November. Abubakar Garbai requested support from the French general but the French faced difficulties in consolidating their forces in order to face Fadlallah. Robillot advised Abubakar Garbai to withdraw to securely French territory but Abubakar Garbai swore to defend Ngala to his death. Fadlallah reached Ngala on 6 December, where he decisively defeated Abubakar Garbai's army despite being outnumbered. In the aftermath of the battle, Abubakar Garbai fled to Kanem, east of Lake Chad, where he unsuccessfully tried to enlist the protection and support of the
Senussi Order The Senusiyya, Senussi or Sanusi () are a Muslim political-religious Sufi order and clan in Libya and surrounding regions founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Grand Sanussi ( ''as-Sanūssiyy al-Kabīr''), the Algerian Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi. D ...
. Neither the French colonial authorities or anyone in Bornu knew what had happened to Abubakar Garbai. Refugees from the battle appointed Masta Gumsumi as the new ''shehu'', though real power was in the hands of Mestrema Musa. Robillot militarily intervened in December, reoccupying Dikwa on 31 December and pursued Fadlallah's forces until mid-January. Abubakar Garbai returned in February 1901 and Masta Gumsumi fled from Dikwa. In June, Fadlallah returned again and occupied Burguma. Fadlallah's advance frightened Abubakar Garbai, who temporarily abandoned Dikwa again and fled to the lands around the
Chari River The Chari River, or Shari River, is a long river, flowing in Central Africa. It is the main source of water of Lake Chad, which is located at the junction of four countries: Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Geography The Chari River flows f ...
, seeking French protection. Fadlallah's army was engaged by French forces at
Gujba Gujba is a town and Local Government Area in Yobe State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are situated in Buni Yadi at towards the south of the area; the eponymous town of Gujba lies in the north of the area. It has an area of and a population of 130, ...
on 23 August 1901, with Fadlallah killed in the ensuing battle. British forces occupied much of Bornu in March 1902, desplite lacking a legitimate figurehead, and incorporated the lands into the
Northern Nigeria Protectorate Northern Nigeria ( Hausa: ''Arewacin Najeriya'') was a British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914, and covered the northern part of what is now Nigeria. The protectorate spanned and included the emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate ...
. In 1902, Abubakar Garbai left Dikwa to serve as the figurehead ''shehu'' of "British Borno". British colonial sources state that the British invited Abubakar Garbai to take up the position, and that he accepted this. German colonial sources from the same time instead claim that Abubakar Garbai was kidnapped by British troops. Dikwa was left in the care of
Sanda Mandarama Places * Sanda, Lahore, a village in Punjab, Pakistan * Sanda, Gotland, a village in the island of Gotland; see Mästerby * Sanda, Hyōgo, Japan * Sanda University, Shanghai, China * Various islands in Scotland: ** Sanda Island (''Sandaigh''), ...
, a brother of the former ''shehu'' Kyari, and was occupied by the French in April 1902. Abubakar Garbai served as the ''shehu'' of British Borno, the later
Borno Emirate The Borno Emirate or Sultanate, sometimes known as the Bornu Emirate, is a traditional Nigerian state that was formed at the start of the 20th century. It is headed by the descendants of the rulers of the Bornu Empire, founded before 1000. The r ...
, from 1902 to his death in 1922.


Gallery

File:Shehu Abubakar Garbai of Borno in 1906.jpg, Shehu Abubakar Garbai of Borno by
Boyd Alexander Lieutenant Boyd Alexander (16 January 1873 – 2 April 1910) was an English officer in the British Army, as well as an List of explorers, explorer and ornithologist. Early life Boyd was the oldest son (with a twin brother) of Lt Colonel Boyd ...
in 1906 File:Abubakar Garbai of Bornu.png, The Shehu on his horse wearing quilted robes and chain mail. File:1913 New Years durbar in Kano.jpg, Photograph of 6 emirs and sultans of Northern Nigeria at the Great Durbar in 1913
Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State ** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries ** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwee ...
. Abubakar Garbai is the third from the left.


References


Bibliography


Bosworth, Clifford Edmond, ''The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual'' p. 128
*Cohen, Ronald, ''The Kanuri of Bornu'', Case Studies in Cultural Anthropology (New York: Holt, 1967). *''Dictionary of African Historical Biography'', p. 100. *''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 15th Edition (1982), Vol. VI, p. 506. * Isichei, Elizabeth, ''A History of African Societies to 1870'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), pp. 318–320, . *Tukur, Mahmud Modibbo, “Shehu Abubakar Garbai Ibn Ibrahim El-Kanemi and the establishment of British rule in Borno, 1902-1914” in ''The Essential Mahmud'', ed. Mahmud Modibbo Abubakar (Zaria: Ahmadu Bello University, 1989).


External links

* Royalty of Borno 1922 deaths Year of birth missing {{Kanem–Bornu rulers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People from colonial Nigeria Kanuri people