✍🏾 *Madalla Kadiri, Zaar Activist*
Tuesday, October 21, 2025, will forever remain a historic day in the memory of every Zaar son and daughter. It marked the end of an era, the conclusion of the long and resilient Zaar struggle for self-determination.
The Zaar struggle is arguably one of the oldest in world history, stretching back centuries, and deserving of recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Our story began long before the 9th century, during the Bronze Age, a turbulent period marked by incessant tribal wars, raids, and invasions by expanding kingdoms seeking to conquer smaller nations. The Zaar people, constantly threatened by these hostilities, were forced to migrate repeatedly in search of peaceful and secure lands. These migrations shaped the Zaar identity and link us historically with several tribes across Bauchi, Southern Borno, and Plateau States.
When the Jihad wars of Usman dan Fodio swept across the region in the 19th century, the Middle Belt became a new frontier for conquest. After consolidating power, Usman declared the Sokoto Caliphate in 1812 and sent his lieutenants to extend its reach southward. One of them, Mallam Yakubu, led expeditions into Bauchi and succeeded in conquering some Jarawa communities, but failed to subdue the Sayawa (Zaar) due to their rugged terrain and independent social structure.
Historians such as Aliyu (1974) and Ikimi (1970) record that the Sayawa once made a peace treaty with Yakubu at Inkil, symbolized by the breaking of bows and arrows. However, that peace was short-lived, as Bauchi forces continued to raid Zaar settlements for slaves and taxes.
Similar attempts to extend Caliphate influence into Benue and Taraba met the same resistance. Historian Moses E. Ochonu recounts that between 1875 and 1895, Muhammad Nya led campaigns in these regions but was equally repelled. It was not until the British arrived in the early 1900s that the Middle Belt was forcibly merged into the Northern Protectorate achieving it through colonial law what the Caliphate could not through war.
Zaarland was finally brought under the Bauchi Emirate in 1916 not by conquest, but by the British Native Authority Ordinance.
Then came a new dawn. The rapid acceptance of Christianity by early converts such as Baba Peter Gonto, Samaila Ma’aji, Haruna Samari, Ayuba Gobara, and others transformed the struggle. These pioneers became literate through missionary education and in 1945 founded the Committee of New Rule (Sabon Mulki) to challenge colonial subjugation under the Emirate system. The pattern they established became the foundation of the modern Zaar struggle for self-determination.
However, after the passing of great leaders such as Baba Gonto, Baba Kyauta, Dr. Bukata, Rev. Elijah Bawa, Samu Bitkon, and Barr. J.K. Manzo among others, Zaarland entered a period of painful transition. Leadership vacuums emerged, and our elite in politics, academia, government, and business struggled to live up to the selfless legacy of those before them.
The new generation has often been divided by ambition, weakened by internal rivalries, and distracted by personal interests. Our elders lost the moral voice they once commanded, and our youth grew disillusioned, losing faith in collective purpose. Disagreements deepened, rural–urban divides widened, and unity became fragile.
It was in the midst of this challenging atmosphere that on Tuesday, October 21st, 2025, Senator Bala Mohammed, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, assented to the Zaar Chiefdom Law, with its headquarters at Mhrim-Pusji finally bringing to an end the centuries-old Zaar struggle for self-determination.
This moment marks not just the fulfillment of history but also the beginning of a new chapter. My earnest prayer is that God will bless Zaarland with a leader worthy of this long-awaited honor, the one who embodies wisdom, humility, justice, and unity.
Otherwise, even with our new chiefdom, we risk remaining divided and vulnerable.
May the God of majesty and splendour guide Zaarland aright and give us leaders who will put the progress of our people above personal ambition.
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