The Lapai Emirate, today in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, is a traditional state that lies near the Gurara River, a tributary to the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...

, formerly originally inhabited where Gbari People, and presently came under the power of Nupe people, covering roughly the same area as the modern Lapai local government area. In the 1790s the Nupe Kingdom was a rising power in the region and had taken Lapai from Oyo. However, with the onslaught of the

Fulani Jihad The Jihad of Usman dan Fodio was a religio-military conflict in present-day Nigeria and Cameroon. The war began when Usman dan Fodio, a prominent Islamic scholar and teacher, was exiled from Gobir by King Yunfa, one of his former students. Us ...

their lands, including Lapai, were conquered by the

Sokoto Caliphate The Sokoto Caliphate (, literally: Caliphate in the Lands of Sudan), also known as the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fula jihads, Fulani jihads ...

. The people of the region became subject to the Hausa kingdom of

Zazzau The Kingdom of Zazzau, also known as the Zaria Emirate, is a traditional state with headquarters in the city of Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The current emir of Zazzau is Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli CFR, who succeeded the former emir, late Alhaji Sheh ...

. After 1804 they came under the

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, ...

emirate of

Zaria Zaria is a List of Nigerian cities by population, metropolitan city in Nigeria, located at present time within four local government areas in Kaduna State. It serves as the capital of the Zazzau Emirate Council and is one of the original sev ...

, part of the realm of the emir of

Gwandu Gwandu, also called Gando, is a town and emirate in Kebbi State, Nigeria. The seat of government for the emirate and district of this name is in Birnin Kebbi, which is the capital of Kebbi State and was capital of the historical Kingdom of Kebb ...

. The Lapai emirate was separated from the emirates of

and Agaie in 1825. The emirate was founded in 1828 when Mallam Baba sent his Lieutenant Daudu Muza to subjugate the area. Daudu was successful, but kept the land for himself. The emirate remained a tributary to the

emirate until 1903, when the British took control.

Rulers

The emirate remains in existence, although it was subject first to British colonial rule and later to civilian or military rule of the independent state of Nigeria. Emirs were: * Da'udu Maza dan Jaura (1825 - 1832) * Yamuza dan Jaura (1832 - 1835) * Baji dan Jaura (1835 - 1838) * Jantabo dan Jaura (1838 - 1874) * `Atiqu dan Jantabo (1874 - 1875) * Bawa dan Jantabo (1875 - 1893) * `Abd al-Qadiri dan (1893 - 1907) * Ibrahim dan Jantabo (1907 - 1923) * `Aliyu Gana dan `Abd al-Qadiri (1923 - Apr 1937) * `Umaru dan Ibrahim (1937 - Nov 1954) * Muhammadu Kobo dan `Aliyu Gana (1954 - 13 Jun 2002) * Umaru Bago Tafida (10 Aug 2002)

References

{{Nigerian traditional states Sokoto Caliphate Niger State 19th century in Africa Nigerian traditional states Emirates Nupe Emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate