The Hausa UPRISING in Kano
When the Land of Commerce Refused to Be Silenced
By Khaleed Yazeed
The Resistance That Dared to Speak
When the Fulani jihad swept through Hausaland in 1804, it promised to cleanse the land of “un-Islamic” practices and establish a new order under the Sokoto Caliphate. But in Kano, the beating heart of Hausa commerce, a fierce resistance rose up, a resistance that would never forget, never fully submit, and never accept the conquest dressed in religious robes.
The Fulani conquest of 1805 deposed the Hausa Sultanate of Kano and replaced it with a new emirate that became a vassal state of the Sokoto Caliphate . But the Hausa people of Kano did not quietly accept the new order. The imposition of Fulani rule was met with repeated resistance, from the very first moments of the conquest through the decades that followed. The jihad brought the Hausa States for the first time under the jurisdiction of a unified administration in Sokoto, but it was also marked by “stiff but abortive resistance put up by the Hausas” . The Hausa people had been conquered, but they had not been defeated. They had been subjugated, but they had not been silenced.
The Battle for the Throne
The Fulani emir who first ruled Kano, Suliemanu dan Abu Hamma (1805–1819) , faced immediate challenges to his authority. The Fulani mallams who had supported the jihad did not trust him. The Kano Chronicle records that the Fulani did not allow Suliemanu to enter the palace, lest he beget children who would stick to the old Hausa customs and habits. The ruling class knew that the Hausa spirit was not easily extinguished.
The Hausa nobility had not disappeared. They had been displaced, but they had not been destroyed. The very system that the Fulani had overthrown continued to haunt their new order. An influential slave of the old Hausa king Alwali, named Dan Rimi, approached the new emir and warned him that he was “too mild” and would fail without the use of Hausa institutions of strength, police, and influential slaves. Dan Rimi offered to help. His offer revealed a deeper truth: the Fulani could not rule without Hausa institutions. The conquerors were forced to rely on the very systems they had sought to destroy.
The Kano Chronicle, written by Fulani historians, passes in silence over some events which could be troublesome for the Fulani dynasty. The chronicler, who must have represented the interests of the Fulanis, did not even mention that Dan Rimi was connected with the Habe dynasty . The conquerors were free to fill the historical vacuum with their own accounts of the peoples they had conquered, destroying and scattering many books or texts belonging to the Hausa people during the struggle.
The Basasa: The Planning and Gathering of the Rebellion
The most significant expression of Hausa resistance came during the Basasa, the Kano civil war of 1893–1894. When Emir Muhammad Bello died in 1893, the Sultan of Sokoto appointed Mohammed Tukur as his successor. This appointment was deeply unpopular. A faction of the ruling House of Dabo under Yusuf bin Abdullahi Maje Karofi rebelled and left Kano for Takai, refusing to accept Tukur’s rule.
The rebellion was not simply a dispute between Fulanis. It was a battle for the soul of Kano. According to historical sources, the Yusufawa won because “the slaves (bayin sarki) and the Kano people preferred the sons of Abdullahi.” The people of Kano had not forgotten their Hausa kings. They had not accepted Fulani domination. And they saw in Yusuf’s rebellion a chance to reclaim their heritage.
The planning of the rebellion was careful and strategic. The Yusufawa established their base in Takai, where they began mobilizing forces and building alliances. The majority of the Kano court remained loyal to Tukur, including key figures like Ibrahim Mallam (Madaki), Iliyasu (Makaman Kano), Bashari Alhaji (Sarkin Bai), Modibo Salihu (Alkali), and Ibrahim Dabo (Sarkin Gaya). The conflict was devastating. The rival factions fought across the Kano countryside, and in the process, crisis merchants on all sides enslaved more than half the population of Kano.
The royal slaves who remained loyal to Tukur included Shamaki Sa’idu, Sallama Mai Yaki, the Sarkin Hatsi, and Dan Rimi Yahaya. But even among the slaves, there was resistance. Yahaya, unwilling to offer his absolute support to Tukur, advised his junior brother, Nuhu, to follow Yusuf. The slave hierarchy was deliberately divided to ensure that one branch of the family would retain its position after the war ended. This was a calculated act of survival.
The Gathering of Forces and the March to War
As the rebellion gained momentum, the Yusufawa began gathering forces from across the Kano countryside. The conflict was fought through a series of battles and skirmishes across strategic locations. Tukur directed Ciroma Musa, Turaki Zakari, and Sarkin Fulanin Dambatta to defend Gano, Gogel, and Garko respectively against the Yusufawa. He also instructed them to secure the support of the inhabitants of these towns against the rebels.
The battle at Gogel was fierce, with the Yusufawa emerging victorious. At Utai, Aliyu Mai Sango reportedly distinguished himself on the battlefield, coordinating the various military formations of the Yusufawa. At the Battle of Gaya, the Yusufawa succeeded in killing Yusuf, but the rebellion did not die with him. Aliyu assumed the leadership of the Yusufawa, and the resistance continued.
Tukur, however, was slow in mobilizing his supporters. He executed all those who were accused of sympathizing with Yusuf or making attempts to join the Yusufawa. His cruelty in executing his opponents was reported, with Temple noting: “Tukur is said to have killed 100 of his (Yusuf’s) followers at each gate after he left.” Even those who were accused of attempting to follow Yusuf to Takai were killed, including a scholar named Mallam Shehu Usman, a cousin of Tukur’s incumbent Alkalin Kano. These actions of Tukur made him lose the support of many people who later joined the Yusufawa at Takai.
The Capture of Kano and the End of the War
In August 1894, the rebels under the command of Aliyu Mai Sango (the gun user) captured the fort of Kano and replaced Mohammed Tukur as Emir. Tukur fled to Kamri but was pursued by Aliyu. A serious battle between the two parties took place at Tafashiya, where Tukur was seriously wounded after a brave attempt to strike at Aliyu. Charging his horse, he slipped on perhaps a stone and fell. Barde Abdu Nagwangwazo took advantage and attacked him with a spear to dispatch him. He later died on Saturday 19 Ramadan, 1312 (March 16, 1895) at Gurin, and he was buried there.
The civil war had ended, but the victory of one Fulani faction over another did not end the Hausa struggle. Aliyu Babba, as he became known, was a gifted swordsman and strict adherent of the Qadariyyah Order. His escapades as Emir were recorded in the Tarikh Al Kano, and the ballad of Ali Zaki commemorates his reign as the last Emir of Kano.
The British Exploit the Hausa Grievance
When the British arrived in Kano in 1903, they found a population eager to break free from Fulani rule. The British victory initially appeared to threaten the Fulani social order at its base by promising freedom to slaves and the end of Fulani domination to the subject Hausa. The Hausa expectations of freedom from Fulani rule following the arrival of the British were freely expressed.
When the Kano nobility fell back on Chamberawa following their defeat at Kotorkwoshi, the people of the villages shut their gates and thrust the Kano men from their walls when they attempted to enter, but received the British party with cordiality. The Hausa people had suffered under Fulani rule for nearly a century. They saw the British as liberators. They were wrong, but their desperation was real.
The British, however, did not come to free the Hausa. They came to conquer. On 3 February 1903, the British captured Kano after heavy fighting. The defenders sustained 70 casualties. The emir, Aliyu Babba, was away with its large contingent of cavalry for the autumn campaign at Sokoto. Despite his efforts, the British successfully took over the city. The British preserved the Fulani emirate system, finding it efficient for extraction and making it the backbone of indirect rule. The Fulani elite survived, and the Hausa people remained subjugated.
The British made Kano an important administrative centre and kept most of the emirate’s institutions in the form of the Kano Emirate Council. The Hausa people had fought, they had resisted, and they had been betrayed by both the Fulani and the British.
The Leaders of the Resistance
Sarkin Katsina Bawa Dan Gima
The ruler who tore up dan Fodio’s letter. He refused to submit. He refused to bow. He chose resistance over submission, even when it meant losing his kingdom.
Yusuf bin Abdullahi Maje Karofi
The leader of the rebellion against Tukur. He refused to accept an unpopular ruler imposed by Sokoto. He led the Yusufawa faction and became a symbol of resistance against Fulani domination .
Aliyu Mai Sango (Aliyu Babba)
The gun user who conquered Kano and replaced Mohammed Tukur as Emir. He was a military leader who refused to accept the status quo. He fought for his vision of Kano, even if that vision was still within the Fulani system. He was a gifted swordsman and strict adherent of the Qadariyyah Order. His reign was commemorated in the ballad of Ali Zaki.
Shehu Dan Jakadan Durmin Shura
The eyewitness who recorded the martyrdom of Kano leaders in their final fight against the British, including the Waziri and Sallama, who died in the charge against the invaders.
The Hausa People of Kano
The people who shut their gates against the Fulani nobility and welcomed the British, hoping for freedom. They never forgot their Hausa identity. They never accepted Fulani domination. And they passed that memory down through generations.
What They Achieved
The Kano Uprising achieved something profound. It preserved the identity of the Hausa people. It preserved the memory of Hausa greatness. It preserved the hope that one day, the Hausa people would rise again.
The resistance was not in vain. Today, the Kano Emirate Council still exists, but the memory of Hausa resistance still lives. The people of Kano have not forgotten their history. The Kano Chronicle is a historical text, but it was a product of the Fulani dynasty, a tool of control. And now, the Hausa people are reclaiming their history from the conquerors.
The Legacy of the Kano Uprising
The Kano Uprising was not a single event. It was a continuous resistance that spanned the 19th century and beyond. It was the refusal of the Hausa people to accept Fulani domination. It was the memory of Hausa greatness that never died. It was the hope of liberation that never faded.
Khaleed Yazeed is a writer, researcher, and the founder of the Wakilin Yamma Youth Development Network in Katsina State, Nigeria.
