THE SHUWA ARAB COURTIERS IN THE CRISES AND INSTABILITY IN THE SHEHUS’ COURT, 1837-1881
Ibrahim Alhaji Modu & Abubakar Mohammed
Department of History
University of Maiduguri,Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Email: Braskolee15@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
One of the major themes of 19 Century Bono politics was the crises and instability in the Shehus court. The struggle for power on the part of the ruling elite, particularly after the death of a ruling monarch and the desire to control land and its proceeds were some of the fundamental factors responsible for court intrigues and pronounced crises in the courts. This paper attempts to examine this phenomenon and specifically points out the role of the Shuwa Arab courtiers therein. The paper observes that crises and instability dominated the greater part of 19th Century Borno particularly after the death of Muhammad El-Amnin El-kanemi, from 1837 and concludes that the Shuwa Arab courtiers who had become a political force to reckon with in Borno were naturally obliged to participate in this crisis.