This letter from Shehu Elkanemi of Borno to Sultan Mohammed Bello in January 1824 contains a clear message to all Nigerians.....(gratitude to Aminu Gamawa of Harvard Law School for sharing......)

Letter From Sheikh Of Borno To Sultan Mohammed Bello
Dated 23rd of Rabee-ul-thani, 1238; (Corresponding to January, 1824)

Praise be to God, and prayers and peace be unto the Apostle of God (Mohammed).

To the honoured and accomplished, the virtuous and munificent, the pattern of goodness and the standard of benevolence, head of the Soodanic kingdon, and ruler of the country of Hausa, our friend, the learned Mohammed Bello, son of the intelligent sheikh Ossman, whose soul may God shelter with the clouds of mercy and peace.

Our salutation, accompanied with affection as strong as the odour of musk, and as perpetual as the movement of the globe, and with the mercy and blessings of God, be unto you.

Hence, the cause of writing this letter and the purpose of its lines, is to acquaint you that the bearers are English travelers; whose nation, out of all the other Christians, has maintained with the Mooslemeen uninterrupted treaties of religious amity and friendship, established since ancient periods, which they inherited from their forefathers and ancestors; and on this account, they penetrate into Mooslemeen countries whenever they please, and traverse all provinces and lands in confidence and trust, without fear. They came to our country, sent to us by our virtuous and accomplished friend, the Lord Yousuf Pasha, master of Tripoli, to see and delight themselves with the wonders of the Land of Soodan, and to become acquainted with its rarities, as lakes, rivers, and forests (or gardens) ; equal to which are seldom seen in other countries.

After having accomplished their wishes, in seeing all the things that the land of Barnooh (Borno) and its environs contained, they felt anxious to visit your country from what they heard of the innumerable wonders therein. I have, therefore, permitted them to proceed on their journey, accompanying them with letters which explain their object.

You are well aware of what is stated in Alcoraanic sayings upon the subject of the obervance of honour, dictated by our Lord, the Apostle of God; and that the true Mooslemeen have always avoided shedding the blood of Christians, and assisted and protected them with their honour. Be then attentive to these travelers, and cast them not into the corners of neglect; let no one hurt them, either by words or deeds, nor interrupt them with any injurious behavior: but let them return to us, safe, and may the high God bestow upon you the best reward for your treatment to them, and insure to us and to you the path of righteousness for conduct in this life.

Our salutation may be given to all who are about you, and to those who are related to you in general. And peace be unto you.

(Sealed)

MOHAMMED EL-AMEEN EEN MOHAMMED EL-KANEMY

Boko Haram are Kanuris tho

illicit:
Boko Haram are Kanuris tho

So you can't say something Good about the peaceful co-existence that they use to have in those days. Boko haram is a terrorist organization terrorizing every human both Muslims and Christians

jbbalarabe:
So you can't say something Good about the peaceful co-existence that they use to have in those days. Boko haram is a terrorist organization terrorizing every human both Muslims and Christians

Yes Boko Haram are Kanuris

illicit:


Yes Boko Haram are Kanuris

Majority but not all , there are Igbos, Fulani and even some foreigners too.

jbbalarabe:
Majority but not all , there are Igbos, Fulani and even some foreigners too.

YOUR MADNESS NO GET CURE!

obiekunie01:


YOUR MADNESS NO GET CURE!

your ignorance knows no bound

Nice one OP, this is rich information.

They came to our country, sent to us by our virtuous and accomplished friend, the Lord Yousuf Pasha, master of Tripoli, to see and delight themselves with the wonders of the Land of Soodan, and to become acquainted with its rarities, as lakes, rivers, and forests (or gardens) ; equal to which are seldom seen in other countries.

The 'Lord Yousuf Pasha' mentioned here in this letter is definitely the same person as Yusuf Karamanli Pasha, (Ottoman governor of Tripolitania 1795-1838). He was actually Turkish by origin. That was a time during which much of North Africa- from Algeria to Egypt and by extension, Sudan were largely under Ottoman control

He(Yusuf Karamanli Pasha) was the governor of Tripoli when Thomas Jefferson(US president from 1801-1809) sent an American Navy squadron to blockade and invade what is today Tripoli, Libya. As a matter of fact, it was Karamanli who pretty much triggered that war. That war is today known as the 'First Barbary War'. That was in 1805.

Well, I am not really surprised at the fact that he had such diplomatic rapport with the Borno Empire. Both were often locked in trade for centuries and as such, it would not be out of place for both realms(Tripolitania and Kanem-Borno) to enjoy such robust diplomatic exchanges.

Borno usually sold slaves to the Tripoli in exchange for warhorses and finished goods. As a matter of fact, Tripolitania and parts of Ottoman ruled Egypt often depended heavily on Sahelian Kingdoms such as Borno for slave supplies.

Besides, there was also that famous treaty between Idris Alawma and the Ottoman empire too.

The letter reveals how those two realms interacted with each other to a large extent.

You can see that Yousuf Pasha was pretty much using his influence on the Borno Empire/Kingdom to try and get safe conduct for the European christian travellers. Now, that says a lot.

Now, that's all I see in that letter.