The Biu Emirate is a

traditional state Traditional authority is a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or a regime is largely tied to tradition or custom. The main reason for the given state of affairs is that " things have always been that way".Reinhard Bendi ...

based in Biu in

Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon, its northern border ...

, Nigeria. Prior to 1920 it was referred to as the Biu Kingdom.

History

The rulers of Biu are numbered from Abdullahi, later known as Yamta-ra-Wala or Yamta the Great, who established his rule about 1535.Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (1980) "Biu" ''Burke's Royal Families of the World: Africa & the Middle East'' (Volume 2 of ''Burke's royal families of the world'') Burke's Peerage, London, page 177, Around 1670, in the reign of Mari Watila Tampta, it became known as a kingdom. The main ethnic group is the Babur/Bura people, related to the

Kanuri people The Kanuri people (Kanouri, Kanowri, also Yerwa, Baribari and several subgroup names) are an African ethnic group living largely in the lands of the former Kanem and Bornu Empires in Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Libya and Cameroon. Those generally ...

. The founder was said to have come from elsewhere, captured the main town in the area, then founded a new capital in Dlimbur, which is now an archaeological site. His descendants formed two rival dynasties, one at Kogu and the other in nearby Mandaragirau. King Mari Watirwa (r. 1793–1838) of Kogu defeated Fulani invaders from the Gombe Emirate to the west. In 1878 Mari Biya, became the first

Bura Bura may refer to: Places * Bura (Achaea), a city in Greece * Boura, Burkina Faso (disambiguation), also spelled Bura * Bura, Iran (disambiguation) * Bura, Taita-Taveta District, Kenya * Bura, Tana River District, Kenya People and civilizatio ...

king to rule from Biu. The emir's palace is now situated in the town. With British rule, Biu division was created in 1918. Mai Ari Dogo was acknowledged as the first emir of Biu in 1920. The area became known as the Biu federation after 1957, when the districts of Shani and Askira were added to the emirate. The Biu Emirate includes the Biu, Hawul,

Kwaya Kusar Kwaya Kusar is a Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Kwaya Kusar. It has an area of 732 km and a population of 56,500 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 603. The inhabitants ...

and Bayo local government areas. The Biu Emirate has by convention always produced the Deputy Governor of Borno State, representing the south of the state. Until recently, the Biu Emirate was one of three in

, the others being the Borno Emirate and the

Dikwa Emirate The Dikwa Emirate is one of the successor states to the old Bornu Empire, a traditional state within Borno State, Nigeria. It was established in 1901 at the start of the colonial period after the Bornu empire had been partitioned between the Brit ...

. In March 2010 the Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff split the old Dikwa Emirate into the new Bama and Dikwa Emirates. This triggered petitions from the people of Hawul, Kwaya Kusar and Bayo to also have separate chiefdoms, which the governor had stated he would do "if the need arises".

Rulers

Mai Biu, also styled Kuthli, were: Emirs were:

Local Government Areas in Biu Emirate

Biu Emirate covers four Local Government Areas: * Biu * Bayo * Hawul *

References

{{Nigerian traditional states History of Nigeria Borno State Nigerian traditional states Emirates