Talk:Illo

brief history of Illo The british colonial administration in the former Northern provinces has already recieved some attention from a number of professional historians. However,the tendency among students of the colonial history of Northern Nigeria has been to concentrate on the major emirates at the expense of smaller ones, and especially the non-muslim polities. There is a wide gap in our knowledge about the colonial administration in the non-muslim areas of the former Northern provinces. The purpose of this paper is to make a contribution to our understanding by focussing attention on the independent district of Illo, which was one of the of the most important non-muslim polities in the muslim North during the first 40 years of the british administration in the Northern Nigeria, until it was deprived of its independent in 1944. Prior to the british administration, Illo was for all intents and purposes an independent state, althought it acknowledged Bussa as the senior member of the principal states of Borgu, bieng the first to be founded. The ruler of Illo like those of the other principal states, namely Bussa, Nikki, and Wawa, claimed the same descent from Kisra, a legendary leader of the Kwararafa migration from the east. Hence, althought the ruler of Bussa claimed lordship over the other rulers of the Borgu states, by the 19th century he excercised no power over them. During the second half of the 19th century Illo also enjoyed a degree of cordiality with its northern neighbour,Gwandu Emirate. In the early 1830s Muhamman, second Emire of Gwandu (1828-1833). Invaded Illo, which he easily captured after Sarkin Illo, kwalafiya, had been forced to flee the town. Muhamman took kwalafiya's daughter, Tagimba, as a concubine. Tagimba born Muhamman a son, Almustafa, who became the seventh Emire of Gwandu in 1869. After his accession to the throne, Almustafa raised the status of Illo by appointing his son, Muhammadu Tafa, as Kofar Illo in place of kokani of gumba who had previously held the post. Hence some form of tobasantakka (literally joking relationship) sprung up between the Emire of Gwandu and Sarkin Illo. It also became the practice for the Emirs of Gwandu to send a gift of horse,  sword, turban and gown by the hand of Kofar Illo to every new ruler of Illo. There are no indications however, that Gwandu ever attempted to annex Illo, nor that sarkin Illo, through the acceptance of the gifts from the Emire of Gwandu, ever regarded himself as a tributary of Gwandu. Thus, at the time of the British conquest of Northern Nigeria, Illo was outside the authority of Emire of Gwandu. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 102.91.30.6 (talk) 13:59, 23 January 2022 (UTC)