HISTORY OF ZURMI PEOPLE ZAMFARA STATE
 |
| HISTORY OF ZURMI PEOPLE |
The people of Zurmi are Fulani, Alibawa by tribes that migrated originally from Mali in the 16th Century; they came to Nigeria from Niger, through Katsina in a village called Runka in present day Katsina State.
After settling down in Runka they were expelled by the Sarkin Katsina for fear of domination. They now left Katsina and moved towards ziyara, which was the leader of the empire under the leadersip of Sarkin Gobir Bawa Jan Gwarzo in 16th century, they visited Bawa Jan Gwarzo and paid him homage, and gave him gifts such as cows and sheeps, and also requested for his permission to settle in a part of his area which is in present day Zamfara. The permission was granted. They were also given a sword as evidence of conformant of leadership of that area to them.
Their settlement after leaving Katsina was a village called Tsakauna in present Birane district. Their leader was called Isah. After settling down in Tsakauna, Isah died and was buried in Tsakauna in the early 17 th century. After the death of Isah, his brother Yabo left Tsakauna to establish his own kingdom in Yabo, i.e., in the present day Sokoto State while some moved to Bungudu, some few kilometers to Zamfara State capital Gusau, and the rest that remain in Tsakauna also move to Bunga, a village 3 KM away from the Zurmi town presently. Under the leadership of Abu Hamid in the late 17th century from Bunga, they also migrated to Zurmi, all in the 17 th century, at the beginning of Shehu Usman Danfodio Jihad bring him to Fulani tribes.
Shehu solicited their assistant during the period of the Jihad and it was granted. He was granted the request to appoint Namoda to lead their troops in the jihad. Because of their action to side with Usman Danfodio, the Zamfarawa, Gobirawa and Asbinawa left, betrayed by the fulani’s, so they decide to unite and wage war against them. They called the war yakin fafara . The forces of Asbinawa and Gobirawa were defeated in fafara by the troops of the fulani’s under the leadership of Namoda. Fafara is about 500 metres from the palace of the Emir of Zurmi. This development excited Usman Danfodio who after the Jihad appointed Abu Hamid as the district head of Zamfar among the five district heads he appointed. They are as follows:-
1. Abu Hamid – (Zurmi)
2. Ummarun Dallaje – (Katsina)
3. Suleiman – (Kano)
4. Buba Yero – (Gombe)
5. Yakubu – (Bauchi)
After these developments, as Abu Hamid mounted the leadership as Sarkin Zamfara, his brother Namoda and his younger brother mamuda decided to migrate from Zurmi and established their own kingdom some 35 kilometers away presently called Kaura Namoda.
The meaning of the word “kaura” in English means migration, i.e, migration of Namoda, one of their brother Umaru Danjeka migrated in 1850 to establish another kingdom called moriki. This is about 35 kilometers away from Kaura Namoda local government. During those periods, both kaura, zurmi and moriki are considered to be under sarkin zamfara i.e., the ruler of zurmi. Later on ward, zurmi, kaura and moriki were separated. Each lives and control their jurisdiction.
From the year 1784 when Abu Hamid was appointed as sarkin zamfara to this present day zurmi town and zurmi emirate council is 228 years old.