The Fulani or Fula people are a nomadic tribe and one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa. They can be found in many West African countries such as Nigeria, Niger, Guinea, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, and a host of others.
Photo Credit: Thafricanhistory.com
However, in today’s article, we would explore the history of how the Fulani people came to Nigeria, and the region where they migrated from.
According to modernghana.com, most historians believe that the Fulani people originated with the Berber people in North Africa before they migrated to West Africa between the 8th and the 11th century. These migrated Berber people first mixed up with the people of Senegal before they spread throughout the West Africa.
In the course of their history, the Fulani people finally seemed to abandon their nomadic form of existence to settle in farm villages to grow their cattle, and today, it is estimated that about 18 million Fulani people reside in countries across West Africa.
In West Africa, the Fulani people are believed to be the first to convert to the Islamic religion as 99% of them are Muslims. More so, the Fulani people who were initially nomadic people came to settle in Nigeria and have a stronghold as a result of the teachings of a renowned Fulani scholar named Usman Dan Fodio in the year early 80s.
Dan Fodio began preaching against the Hausa kings in the north and soon took up arms to fight and conquer some of these Hausa kingdoms and established the Sokoto caliphate. Therefore, this then gave the Fulani people an edge and a safe heaven in Nigeria, and they became a part of the Nigerian people.
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