Dutse Emirate

According to legend, the area now called Dutse was first discovered by a hunter named Duna-Magu, who was great at hunting, especially gazelles. Because of this, he gave it the nickname "Gadawur." The settlement of Garu is believed to have existed even before Bagauda's arrival in Kano during the late 1st millennium.[7][1]

The earliest written record about Dutse is in the Kano Chronicle, which mentions its defeat by the Kano ruler Abdullahi Burja around the years 1438–1452. After this defeat, Abdullahi Burja married a daughter of the Sarkin Dutse, creating a connection between the two emirates. By the early 18th century, Dutse had become a substantial town with around seventy wards enclosed within its walls. These walls protected the central area around Jambo stream and had twelve city gates, each named after the nearest ward.[8][9]

Between 1732 and 1735, a powerful Fulani figure named Ada played a significant role in Dutse's history. Initially, he arrived in Dutse as a military envoy of Sarkin Kano Kumbari. However, Ada went on to defeat the ruler of Dutse and took control. His rule was short-lived as he faced opposition and fought against Kano forces.After Ada, Tsohon Mutum became the ruler of Dutse and is particularly remembered for building the Ganuwar Garu, an additional wall that fortified the Garu palace town. Later, the ascendancy of the Fulani in 1806 marked a turning point in Dutse's history.[10]

In 1806, the Fulani, led by Salihi and Musa from the Yalligawa and Jalligawa Fulani clans, took control of Dutse. They had migrated to Dutse from Birnin Gazargamo in the Kanem–Bornu Empire. Their migration was due to a more favorable political climate in Dutse, where they became political leaders and Islamic scholars, earning the trust of the local people. This marked a significant change for Dutse, which now recognized Sarkin Kano Suleman as their spiritual leader. In return, Kano granted Dutse some autonomy in local administration.[10]