Gambo Sawaba

Hajia Sawaba was born to Isa Amartey Amarteifio (christened Theophilus Wilcox) who was an immigrant from Ghana and Fatima Amarteifio, a Nupe woman from Lavun Local Government, Niger State. Amarteifo was a graduate of Ghana School of Survey who immigrated to Nigeria in 1910 and sought to be employed by the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

Fatima's great grand father was a blacksmith as well as a warrior who gave birth to Mamman Dazu, their grand father. Mamman Dazu is said to have been a great warrior and widely consulted.[1]

Isa Amartey Amarteifio was converted to Islam upon getting to Zaria and met with Fatima after some years whom he married. Fatima was a widow and already had 3 children with Mohammadu Alao her then deceased husband. Their marriage was consummated with 6 children of whom Sawaba was the 5th. She was called Hajaratu while according to the Hausa naming custom, any child born after the birth of twins was called Gambo, hence the name Hajaratu Gambo.[1]

She was educated at the Native Authority Primary School in Tudun Wada. She however had to stop schooling after the loss of her father in 1943 who dies complaining of headache and her mother 3 years after.[1] She was married off at age 13 to a World War II veteran Abubakar Garba Bello who left and never returned after her first pregnancy. Her subsequent marriages did not last with one being called off because her and her spouse, Hamidu Gusau, engaged in violent fights.[3]

Quite noticeable about her when she was a child, was her unusual interest in mad people. She spoke with them, accommodated some and gave the ones she could money, clothes and food.[1] As a child she was often described as stubborn and heady and almost always got into street brawls. According to her "I could not stand by to watch a weak friend or relation being molested." She said used to take over such fights. Whenever she got to the scenes of such fights, she would immediately say “OK, I have bought the fight from you” to the weaker person and take over the fight.[1]