WABAJI: The History of Raba Raba used to be the old capital of the Nupe Nation. Raba was the last capital city of the Nupe Nation from which Bida took over. The history of the Nupe Nation cannot be written without a full and consummate mention of the role played by Raba in the shaping of the annals and history of the Nupe people. But the problem is that Raba is hardly discussed openly in historical circles concerning the Nupe people today. Things are made to look as if Raba played little or no significant role at all in the history of the Nupe Nation. The average man on the street today get’s the wrong assumption that everything about Nupe history begins and ends with Bida. The reality, however, is that the role and part played in history of Nupe by Raba might as well be greater than that of the role Bida has been playing ever since taking over from Raba as the new capital of the Nupe Nation. It is this relegation of the historical role played by Raba – and due to many other factors – that we deem it necessary to take a full and detail look at the history of Raba itself and role it played in shaping the history of the Nupe Nation in particular and the Nupe people in general. As far as we can garner Raba as been around as a riverine settlement on the banks of the River Niger where we still see it today for a very long time. Nobody knows for sure when Raba was first founded or even established as a settlement where we see it to this very day. And nobody knows who was or who were the first people to found or settle Raba. All these facts are lost to history today. All we know is that history just came and saw Raba as established already as a small village clutching onto the banks of the River Niger in the very place we see it to this very day. In those days Raba was merely one out of a countless other similar villages all on the banks of the River Niger. Raba was, just like all the neighbouring villages in those days, merely a fishing village and most of its inhabitants were just Nupe fishermen who ply the River Niger and other smaller rivers in the vicinity for both long and short distance trade in fish, agricultural products and merchantilic products. In those days Raba was actually known as Wabaji. In fact Wabaji was the official and traditional name of Raba until recent historical times when it acquired the nickname ‘Raba’. The nickname ‘Raba’ derives from the fact that the city was a port located on the banks of the River Niger almost like an Island. In Old Nupe ‘Raba’ simply means ‘The Water Place’ or ‘Waterfront’ or, in a technical sense, ‘A port’. Wabaji was a port and used referred to as such by the Old Nupe word a port, namely, Raba. That was how the name of the city came to change from Wabaji to Raba in later times. Today we all call it Raba not knowing that the real and original name of the settlement was Wabaji. But Wabaji was itself not a proper name – it was, too, a much more ancient nickname also meaning the ‘Watering Place’ or the ‘Waterfront Settlement’. Well, and whatever the true or original name of Wabaji or Raba might have been, history found it rising into an important waterfront or wharf settlement for local canoes and local economic activities above its neighbouring villages. Wabaji or Raba grew into a town greater than its neighbouring villages and gradually became the connected to an international trade route that connected the Northern and Southern parts of the West African region together. The earliest of the European explorers and expeditionists to arrive KinNupe noticed the huge volume of international trade, merchandise and traffic passing through Raba from North Africa to the rest of ancient Nigeria and the Central Sudan. But then the rise of Raba into a great city was also aided by its choice by the kings and rulers of KinNupe in those days to use it as a convenient capital city. The point here is that even though Raba started as a commercial centre because of its position as a port strategically located on an international trade route, it was its choice as a capital city by the Nupe rulers that really transformed Raba into a mighty and powerful city in those days. Actually it was consequent upon the division of the Nupe Empire into two rival kingdoms between the Etsu Majiya II and Etsu Jimada factions in the 1790s that led to the political rise of Raba as a regional capital of the Nupe Nation. While Etsu Jimada had his capitals at both Zhima and Gbara, his archenemy Etsu Zubairu Majiya II had his own capitals at Zugurma and Raba. The initial capital was at Zugurma but the commercial significance of the port town of Raba made Etsu Majiya to adopt it as a secondary capital. But then Raba immediately grew into an outmatching capital where Etsu Majiya eventually came to settle. Mallam Dendo and his other group of Mallams were initially with Etsu Jimada at the Gbara and Zhima palaces. But after their quarrel with Etsu Jimada over the role of Shehu Abdurrahman Gbaji in the Nupe Jihad enterprise, Mallam Dendo and the other Mallams changed camps to Etsu Majiya’s palace at Raba. And that was how the Raba gradually began to assumed its political significance in the history of the Nupe Nation. Mallam Dendo and his coterie of other Mallams were the guests of Etsu Zubairu Majiya at Raba. But it was the presence of the Mallams at Raba that attracted the unprecedented political and administrative fame to Raba. The presence of the Mallams at Raba under the aegis of Etsu Zaubairu Majiya led to the fame of Raba being established as the secondary capital city to Zugurma in the Eastern Kingdom division of the Nupe Empire that fall under the sovereignty of Etsu Zubairu Majiya. In any case the Mallams got to settle at Raba under Etsu Zubairu Majiya at a time that the power struggle between Etsu Zubairu Majiya and his archenemy Etsu Jimada was at its peak. There was eventually the Battle of Ragada in 1825. At this Battle Etsu Zubairu Majiya defeated and killed his rival Etsu Jimada. With the defeat and death of Etsu Jimada at the Battle of Ragada Etsu Zubairu Majiya became the sole and paramount Etsu Nupe of the entire Nupe Nation. And Etsu Zubairu Majiya consolidated his headquarters at Raba immediately after the Battle of Ragada thereby transforming Raba into the singular capital city of the entire Nupe Nation. That was how Raba became the capital city of the Nupe Nation. But then Etsu Zubairu Majiya reckoned, so to say, without the devil: the influence of the Mallams under him at Raba snowballed out of all proportions and immediately overshadowed his own name and influence such that the Malllams actually constituted a paralleled government to his own right there inside the city of Raba. The problem is that people believed in the Asiri powers of the Mallams which they assume Etsu Zubairu Majiya didn’t have. It was believed that it was the Asiri magical powers of the Mallams – Mallam Dendo and his cohorts – that actually secured for Etsu Zubairu Majiya his victory over his rival Etsu Jimada at the Battle of Ragada. In any case the Mallams became more famous and more powerful than Etsu Zubairu under whom they supposedly lived at Raba. Mallam Dendo the head of the Mallams became unavoidably far more powerful and influential than the Etsu Zubairu Majiya who hosted him at Raba. Soon tension and even clashes emerged between Etsu Zubairu Majiya and Mallam Dendo at Raba. And this was happening at a time that another Mallam, called Mallam Alimi, rose to power by overthrowing the Yoruba kings who hosted him at Ilorin. It was soon glaring to Etsu Zubairu Majiya that if he doesn’t eliminate Mallam Dendo then he is going to be overthrown by Mallam Dendo at Raba just as Mallam Alimi did to his hosts at Ilorin. In the end Etsu Zubairu Majiya chased Mallam Dendo and his other Mallams across the Niger unto the waiting hands of Mallam Alimi at Ilorin. There soon followed the great Battle of Ilorin. Also known as the Mugba Mugba Battle, it was a great battle at Ilorin which eventually turned in favour of the Mallams who ended up chasing Etsu Zubairu Majiya back across the Niger through Raba and even beyond. Etsu Zubairu Majiya fled Raba and Mallam Dendo came back to settle down at Raba as the new most powerful man in the whole of KinNupe. These was Etsu Isa, the son of the late Etsu Jimada, as the new Etsu Nupe and his throne-city was at Edun. Etsu Isa was the one who helped Mallam Dendo and Mallam Alimi to defeat Etsu Zubairu Majiya at Ilorin and after the defeat of Etsu Zuabairu at Ilorin Etsu Isa became the overall Etsu Nupe of the entire Nupe Nation. But the powers, fame and renown of Mallam Dendo at Raba after the Battle of Ilorin were such that Mallam Dendo became the undisputed most powerful man in the whole of KinNupe after the Battle of Ilorin. Etsu Isa’s position as the Etsu Nupe therefore simply became de jure one. With Mallam Dendo sitting down there at Raba as his base, Raba became the most powerful city in the whole of KinNupe. So powerful did Mallam Dendo became at Raba that Etsu Isa ruling as the Etsu Nupe in far away Edun became threatened by the paramount powers of Mallam Dendo. Etsu Isa suddenly marched on Mallam Dendo and laid siege to Raba. But as Etsu Isa waited outside the walls of Raba for hunger to force Mallam Dendo into surrender, the highly diplomatic Mallam Dendo was able to recall the erstwhile fugitive Etsu Zubairu Majiya to come and attack Etsu Isa at the gates of Raba. Etsu Isa fled the walls of Raba and in turn became the fugitive as Etsu Zubairu Majiya chased him around and eventually out of KinNupe. Etsu Zubairu Majiya came back had a sumptuous festival with the Dendo dynasts at Raba. The city of Raba became even more powerful and established as the undisputed capital city of the Nupe Nation. But while the gullible Etsu Zubairu Majiya was feasting with the Dendo dynasts little did he knew that the same children of Mallam Dendo have gone to Gwandu to collect the flag of Jihad from the overall Sokoto Caliphate thereby establishing a Dendo Emirate at Raba and thereby officially and formally rendering the Etsu Nupe position that Etsu Zubairu Majiya have been laboring for totally useless. The Dendo dynasts established the Dendo Emirate at Raba with Usman Zaki, the second son of Mallam Dendo, as the first Emir of Nupe. This Dendo Emirate was also known as the Raba Emirate since Raba was its capital city and its official seat of power. It was around that time, in 1932, that Mallam Dendo died and was buried at Raba. The site of his grave is marked today by a mosque built beside it. But then Usman Zaki’s reign as the first Emir of the Raba Emirate was truncated by his own restless and power-mongering junior brother Masaba. This ever-scheming Masaba connived with a disgruntled Etsu Tsado to lay siege to Raba in the disastrous and catastrophic Battle of Raba which took place in 1841. The Battle of Raba was a very vicious one indeed as both Etsu Tsado and Masaba laid siege to Raba for several days on end expecting Usman Zaki to surrender out of hunger. But when both Etsu Tsado and Masaba later on discovered that Emir Usman Zaki have escaped they angrily razed and burnt down the entire city of Raba. So thorough and completely did Masaba and Etsu Tsado demolished and razed Raba that to this very day, more than 170 years later, Raba has never recovered or rise back out of that total destruction. That day, the day Raba was demolished and razed completely to the ground, is the turning point in the history of Raba – for ever since then Raba has simply remained a ghost town. After demolishing Raba and overthrowing Usman Zaki, Masaba went down to Lade where he declared himself the new Etsu Nupe and established Lade as the new capital city of KinNupe. From there at Lade, not far away from Patigi, Etsu Masaba then settled down to rule the Nupe Nation as the overall Etsu Nupe. But Masaba’s own reign as the Etsu Nupe was truncated by his own powerful war general in the person of General Umaru Bahaushe. This General Umaru Bahaushe overthrew Masaba from powerful and declared himself as the new Etsu Nupe. For almost a decade Umaru Bahaushe reigned as the undisputed Etsu Nupe until all the forces – the Dendo dynasts and the disgruntled Etsus from the ancient Tsoede dynasties – marshelled against him. In the series of initial battles between General Umaru Bahaushe and Umaru Majigi the small Bini village of Bida on the banks of the River Landzun suddenly assumed a strategic significance as it was a walled village into which Umaru Majigi had to take refuge from the superior army of General Umaru Bahaushe. In any case the war eventually turned against General Umaru Bahaushe as he was defeated and drowned in the River Gbako in 1856. After the defeat and death of Umaru Bahaushe the members of the Dendo dynasty temporarily camped inside Bida as they convened a meeting on deliberations on who should be made the new Emir of Nupe. Usman Zaki, Masaba and Umaru Majigi were all there at the meeting which was mediated by Waziri Dan Adama who was there to represent the Sultan of Gwandu. It so happened that at those deliberations at Bida the Dendo dynasts eventually agreed that Usman Zaki should be appointed as the new Emir with Masaba as the Shaba or heir apparent. Masaba agreed and Waziri Dan Adama immediately turbaned Usman Zaki as the new Emir of Nupe. In this case Usman Zaki was serving a second term as the Emir of Nupe. After being turbaned as the new Emir of Nupe Usman Zaki made preparations to go back to Raba. His intention was to rebuilt Raba which have been reduced to ruins back in 1841. But then Usman Zaki and all the other forces at Bida had to wait for the raining season of the year 1857 to be over before they can go back to Raba. They want to go back to Raba at a time when the dry season will be in full fledge because that will be the right time to embark on the extensive architectural and town planning projects they want to undertake to rebuild Raba. Incidentally, and while waiting at Bida for the raining season to be over, Emir Usman Zaki and the Dendo dysnats in general were approached by the indigenous Bini people of Bida who begged them to remain in Bida and to transform Bida into the new capital city of the entire Nupe Nation. The Bini indigenes of Bida remonstrated that if Emir Usman Zaki and his forces go back to Raba they, the Bida indigenes, will be left at the mercy of remants of the defeated army of the late Umaru Bahaushe who will certainly come to inflict a fatal and devastating revenge on the inhabitants of Bida. And then there was also the argument that instead of going back to rebuild Raba why don’t the Dendo dynasts simply concentrate on building Bida since Raba had been totally reduced to rubbles and ashes. And others said that Raba was too close to Zugurma and was therefore vulnerable to a surprise attack by descendants of the Tsudi (Tsoede) dynasty who still rule at Zugurma and who hated the Nupe-Fulani Dendo dynasts. It was observed that Bida was located in a valley surrounded by expansive plains and will therefore by impossible to attack with a surprise move. In the end Emir Usman Zaki agreed to settling down permanently at Bida with Bida as the new capital city of the Nupe Nation. It should be noted that Umaru Majigi and Waziri Dan Adama were also in full support of transforming Bida into the new capital city of Nupe. Members of the three royal houses of the Dendo dynasty have initially set up temporary camps in Bida which was in those days just a Bini village transformed into a large military barrack or war camp. Usman Zaki, Umaru Majigi and Masaba have each set up camps at dfferent parts of Bida and when Emir Usman Zaki decided that Bida will be the new capital of Nupe each of this three royal houses of the Dendo dynasty cleared their temporary camps and began to build magnificent and world standard palaces on the sites of their ersthwhile camps. That was in 1857. Emir Usman Zaki then ordered all the artisans and administrative officials that they have left behind at Raba to immediately relocate to Bida. The same order was given to the artisans and officials Masaba had left behind at Lade. This was Bida was immediately overwhelmed by a massive influx of artisans and government officials and general citizenry from Raba, Lade and some other cities, towns, and villages from all the nooks and corners of KinNupe. All these contributed in no small manner to the degeneration of Raba into the small town that we still see it is today.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 21:33:24 +0000
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