The British, Encounter with the Kibaku People and the Imposition of Colonial Rule in Northern Nigeria

In 1906, the British sent a military expedition to Kibakul and to bring the people under effective control. The people rose in defence of their independence, using various tactics and strategy. In the process, both suffered some setbacks in terms of men and material. Eventually the people were conquered and brought under British control. When they were conquered and brought under British control, they were ruled in accordance with the indirect rule system. The ruler of the Kibaku ethnic group became a bridge-builder between his subject and the British colonizers. This paper looks at the British campaigns in the Kibakul and between the periods of 1906 to1907. It examines the reason why British sent military expedition against the Kibaku people, a small ethnic group and what factors and strategies adopted in carrying out such campaigns. The introduction of the indirect rule system in Kibakul and and the effects of this alien political system otherwise known as the indirect rule is examined in this article. It concludes that even though the introduction of the indirect rule system in Kibakuland had tremendous negative effects on the people, however, it introduced the people to wider society and helped them to build networks of contacts with people of different background and cultures.