SLAVERY AND SLAVE TRADE IN KILBA (HUBA) KINGDOM OF NORTHERN NIGERIA, C.1500–1904AD

Abstract

Slavery and slave trade were seen as an absolute control of human psychology against one’s wish. In pre-colonial Kilba (Huba) kingdom, one of the powerful kingdoms in Northern Nigeria north of Fombina (Adamawa) Emirate, the revise was the case as it was seen as a form of entrepreneurship that contributed immensely to its socio-political and economic activities for centuries long before the advent of the Trans-Saharan trade and Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, which rob Africa’s able-bodied people for centuries. To this end, this formed the central argument of the paper. However, through a historical methodology that cut across primary and secondary sources such as oral interviews, archival materials, dissertations/thesis, and textbooks, the paper argues that slavery and the slave trade in pre-colonial Kilba kingdom were seen as a source of labour for farm, handicraft industries, and domestic works. In fact, in Kilba markets these slaves serves as precious commodities for purchase of horses and beautiful cotton strips gown. In terms of war, slaves were sources of foot soldiers and guards coupled with their role as blacksmiths, and equally form part of the social class of the Kilba society. This means that slaves were essential in the social and economic life of the kingdom. In conclusion, the paper noted that, the major setback to the slavery and slave trade were as a result of Fulani Jihadist attacks, seven years famine, Fad-el-Allah’s troops attacks on the kingdom, heavy loss of manpower through the death of able-bodies people in process of slave raiding. More so, there high sense of restlessness and lawlessness caused slave raids and highway robbery which affected domestic and long-distance trades an impetus for slave markets in the kingdom. The last to draw the straw was the advent of British colonial rule in Kilba kingdom in 1904 which changes the phase of Kilba kingdom through its forceful policy of abolition of slavery and slave trade.