The Kano civil war, or Basasa, began when Muhammad Tukur [c.1855-August 1894] was installed as emir of Kano by the Caliph of Sokoto Abd al-Rahman "Danyen Kasko" (1828-1903) during Jumada II, 1311/December 1893. It lasted until the death of Tukur on Saturday, 19 Ramadan 1312/16 March 1895, although most fighting endeded with the entry of his victorious opponents into the city of Kano c. 16 Safar, 1312/c. 19 August, 1894.

The origins of the war lay in a dynastic struggle within the Kano ruling house. When the Sultan Abd Allah "Maje Karofi" [1814-1882; r.1855-1882] passed away on 24 Shawwal 1299/8 September 1882 at Kaura Namoda in what is now Sokoto State, he was succeeded by his younger brother Muhammad Bello [c.1820-1893] (not to be confused with the famous caliph Muhammad Bello of Sokoto). Emir Muhammad Bello followed a systematic policy of trying to deprive his brother's sons of their titles and territories and compelling many of the husbands of his nieces to divorce them. He was seeking to have succession guaranteed to his own son, Muhammad Tukur. In order to accomplish this he instituted a policy of sending large and regular presents to Sokoto to ensure favorable treatment for his line there. In order to finance such expenditures he increased the numbers of jakadu (messengers and tax collectors) supervising the estates of officials in his emirate. This in turn resulted in popular disaffection as tax burdens increased on the common people.

Muhammad Tukur was less than 40 years old when he succeeded his father as emir, and his inexperience in public affairs was to hurt him during the conduct of the war. Although most officials supported him at the beginning, his failure to take decisive action, and his hiding in his city instead of taking the field against his enemies, cost him most of their support. While Tukur hid in his palace, sending presents to Sokoto
as well as to the local ulema [mallams] his cousin Yusuf [c.1840-August 1894] and his supporters fled to Takai, in the southeast of Kano emirate. There, after a nearly disastrous frontal assault on the city, they began slowly to isolate and capture towns and villages in an expanding circle, until the were ready to take the isolated Kano city.

Yusuf was suffering from hemorrhoids and died at Garko on his way back to his headquarters at Takai from the successful siege of Gaya. He was then succeeded by his brother Aliyu Babba [1858-1926;r.1894-1903]. Ali was the son of a daughter of the caliph of Sokoto Ali
Babba [1804-1859;r.1842-1859], son of Caliph Muhammad Bello [1781-1837;r.1817-1837]. Thus he owed his appointment to head the insurgency in part to the thought that he might be more acceptable to the caliphal court in Wurno than his brother.

This is a letter from Yusuf's brother and successor, Ali Babba, formally notifying Sokoto that he has been appointed successor to his brother Yusuf. He seeks to assure Sokoto that all appointments will be by consent of the caliph, and and asks the caliph to reconsider his support of Tukur now that Yusuf is dead. Ali bases this not only on his popular support among the people of Kano, but on the traditions of appointment by the kingmakers of Kano, as well as his ties of kinship to the ruling family in Sokoto. He even sends a large present in an attempt to influence
the Caliph, as well as to make clear that there is no intention on the part of the insurgents of breaking their allegiance to Sokoto
.
It was probably written shortly after the death of Yusuf, on Sunday, 2 Safar 1312/5 August 1894. This was during the rainy season, getting close to harvest time, a good time for a truce.
This letter is significant for several reasons. First it confirms that even with victory in sight the insurgent side in the Kano civil war was not interested in breaking with the Sokoto Caliphate, but that they thought their rights within the federal structure of the caliphate were being violated. Abd al-Rahman was not, in this interpretation, to impose his choice on the people of Kano, but rather to ratify the previously agreed upon choice, Yusuf, in accordance with tradition.

The fact that the letter is addressed to Abd al-Rahman and not to the Wazir is also significant. It is unlikely to be a mere formality, since most of the letters in this file were addressed to the Wazir, who was in charge of day-to-day relations with Kano and other emirates under his jurisdiction. It rather suggests that the appointment of Tukur was, as Wazir Muhammad al-Bukhari [1842-1910] claimed in his account, the demand of Abd al-Rahman himself.

This letter also illustrates that Ali's kinship ties to Sokoto were an important factor in his appointment to the throne of Kano. As a grandson of the Caliph Aliyu Babba [1804-1859], for whom he was named, his strong connection with Sokoto held out better possibilities for reconciliation there than any of his brothers could offer. This was a major consideration in his appointment to succeed.


Letter from Emir Aliyu Babba below

1) In the name of God, and He suffices.
2) May God bless the Chosen One [Muhammad].
3) From he who entrusts his affairs to God and to the Messenger [Muhammad], God is his patron and his master
4) that is Ali son of the late emir Abd Allah: Greetings and salutations and esteem
5) and respect and an overabundance of respect to the virtuous and gracious one,
6) that is amir al-mu'minin [Sultan of Sokoto] 'Abd al-Rahman son of amir al mu'minin
7) the late Abu Bakr. Thereafter: the reason for sending this letter is to inform you that our leader
Yusuf has died-to God we belong and to him we shall return- in the month of God Muharram
9) the day the month ended. To God belongs what He takes and His is what He gives. But
10) our community gathered to take council, the people of the city[Kano] and the countryside. They said
11) that the community will not tolerate anyone succeeding the sayyid Yusuf but myself. So I accepted and bore
12) their burden. In point of fact, our affair shall be only with God and his Messenger
13) and with Uthman[dan Fodio] and all our appointees shall be none other than at the hand of the amir al-muminin . We are
14) with God and the Messenger [and] with you.Do not abandon the way of our fathers and grandfathers,
15) and keep your ties of kinship, even if only in salutation. This [is what I have to say and I conclude with salutation [Shikenan]
16) and my present is fifty pieces [of cloth]
17) partly of tobes, partly malf and partly turban cloth.
18) [ ]

Emir Aliyu Babba (1858-1926)during his internment at Lokoja by the British colonial authorities.

Wen gr8 grandpas were kids

......in the days of KOKU BABONI

Ur story too long Mr man!! Look so much like an important history but too long to read

Letter no. 39.
This is a letter from the caliph of Sokoto with an official seal. It is unusual in the Sokoto files of correspondence, since it must have been drafted and formally sealed, but for some reason not sent out but rather kept in the files. The reason may have been that another, perhaps slighlty different version was sent, or that events overtook this letter and made it irrelevant or otherwise obsolete, as may have been the case with letter 38.
This letter is written to Aliyu Babba and his brother, the former Ciroman Musa, but curiously not to their brother Yusuf, the actual leader of the rebellion, whom it refers to although not by name. It implies that they have rebelled against the lawful authority of the caliph by leaving Kano [and rebelling against Tukur] without his permission and that therefore they have seceded from the caliphate. It orders them to cease and desist from all hostile to return to Kano and the jurisdiction of the caliphate.

It is obvious from this letter that Abd al-Rahman himself was behind the appointment of Tukur rather than Yusuf and that he saw all opposition to this appointment as treason. It would seem from this letter that the Wazir was in a delicate situation, as the Wazir himself implied in his account of the civil war, trying to enforce an unpopular decree that he had not the power to put into effect.This letter also fits in with the popular image of Sultan Abd al-Rahman as 'Danyen Kasko', [litterally in Hausa] an unbaked pot, or [figuratively] an unreliable, impetuous person. He had ignored the pleadings of Aliand others, brushing aside all opposition to his orders and refusing any profferred advice. In the absence of his own memoirs about the Kano civil war this letter will have to stand as his definitive statement on the matter.
It is curious that the letter was sealed but never delivered. This may be explained by the vicissitudes of the civil war, but may also be explained by the difficulty of delivering mail in the midst of the hostilities of a civil war. Finding someone willing to cross enemy lines and find Ali and Musa to deliver this letter must have been a difficult task.

NB: The Sultan's endorsement of Tukur as Emir might have been due to a public promise he made following the disastrous campaign against Argungu in 1892-3. The Sarkin Kebbi Argungu Samaila dan Yakubu Nabame surprised the Sokoto army when he deployed his forces in open combat, rather than staying safe within his walls. The ingenious Hausa prince struck first before the Sokoto army was deployed into battle formation, and the Kano contingent commanded by Tukur took the brunt of the Kebbawa charge. "Though Tukur strove to rally his men, the weight of the Kebbi charge swept them aside. Having broken the enemy ring Sama'ila proceeded to roll it up. The Fulani now found themselves in a hopeless position and before long their whole army was in flight, pursued by the triumphant Kebbi horse [cavalry].

(...)On this disastrous day it was left to one of the Sultan's nephews, the Marafa Maiturare [he would become Sultan of Sokoto twenty years later, 1915-1924], to strike the only effective blow for the Fulani and save their honour. When the Kebbi cavalry galloped off in pursuit of the main body of the army, they in turn exposed themselves. By keeping his own contingent of Tuaregs and Adarawa under firm control, the Marafa was therefore able to take them in the flank and rear. But the counter-attack, though it exacted some retribution, came too late to save the day"

Apparently, the Sultan liked Tukur's handling of his troops and he impulsively told him in Hausa Goronka Kano in ta fadi [Kano shall be your reward]. This public engagement might explain his staunch support for Tukur.

1) In the name of God the Beneficent, the Merciful. May God bless the noble prophet.

{official caliphal seal}
2) To Ciroman Musa and his brother Ali, known as 'Babba',
3) Greeting and salutation and esteem and respect. Thereafter [this is] to inform [you]
4) that we have sent you back from Bauchi to your country (ila watanika) because of our need
5) for you [there]. You ought not to have gone out without our permission
6) so that [if we had had prior notice] we could have arranged matters for you. But you found the opportunity
7) as did your brother [Yusuf the pretender]. What was it that prevented him from coming
to us? Next [let me tell you that] what you find with God is better for both of you than the world
9) And what it contains. And [I conclude with] salutation,
[added to line 9 at beginning and end]: In this manner have I commanded //you both to return.

balash:
Ur story too long Mr man!! Look so much like an important history but too long to read

It's less than 1000 words.
I think it's better to put letter and background in one post

I like this. I've always thought we knew less of our history than we should

MathsChic:
I like this. I've always thought we knew less of our history than we should

You are absolutely right.

Here's another letter by the pretender Yusuf to the Waziri Muhammadu Buhari (1842-1910;r.1886-1903) who was considered by many as playing a negative role during the whole affair.

From Lovejoy and Philips

Letter no. 101.
This letter is from Yusuf to the Wazir. It apparently formed part of negotiations between the two of them. It suggests that Wazir Bukhari was trying to make some sort of a deal with Yusuf and his supporters, but that this deal could not be expressed openly.
This suggests that the Wazir had more freedom of manoeuvre than was claimed in his own account of the Kano civil war. What exactly the deal was that he was offering to Yusuf and his followers we may never know.

Yusuf to the Wazir
1) In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful,
2) and may God bless him who does not follow base desires.
3) From him who entrusts his affairs toG od and to the Messenger [Muhammad], that is Yusuf b.
4) Abd Allah the late emir of Kano: greetings and salutations and esteem
5) and respect and a superabundance of respect to the lord virtuous and scholar
6) pure, the trustworthy brother, that is the commander of that which is beneficial, the possessor of
7) good advice, Muhammad al-Bukhari. But after [that] I am informing you that we have seen
your messenger, the bearer of your letter, and we have read it and understood what was in it
9) both explicitly and implicitly,but we await your reply, if God wills.
10) This [is what we have to say], and [we conclude with] salutation.

GorkoSusaay:
Emir Aliyu Babba (1858-1926)during his internment at Lokoja by the British colonial authorities.

Alu Mai-sango
(Allah kyauta Makwanci)