Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered by Yobe to the west for about 421 km, Gombe to the southwest for 93 km, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border forms part of the national border withCameroon for about 426 km (265 miles, partly across the Ebedi and Kalia Rivers). Its northern border forms part of the national border withNiger for about 223 km, mostly across the Komadougou-Yobe River, and its northeastern border forms all of the national border withChad for 85 km (53 miles). It is the only Nigerian state to border up to three countries. It takes its name from the historic emirate of Borno, with the emirate's old capital of Maiduguri serving as the capital city of Borno State. The state was formed in 1976 when the former North-Eastern State was broken up. It originally included the area that is now Yobe State, which became a distinct state in 1991.[4]
From the 700s, what is now Borno State was within the territory of the Kanem Empire, an empire spanning from modern-day southern Libya (Fezzan) south through most of now-Chad into modern-day Borno State. In the late 1300s, the Kanem Empire was forced to move after unsuccessful wars, becoming the Bornu Empire before regaining strength and ruling the wider area for the next 500 years. It was not until the early 1800s when the Fulani jihad significantly weakened the Empire, that Bornu began to decline. Much of modern-day southern Borno State was seized in the wars and incorporated into the Adamawa Emirate under the Sokoto Caliphate. About 80 years later, Rabih az-Zubayr, a Sudanesewarlord, conquered the Empire and ruled until he was killed by French forces in the 1900 Battle of Kousséri. The Adamawa Emirate was also defeated by colonial powers, losing the Adamawa Wars to Germany and the British Empire. Both Rabih's lands (later reconstituted as the Borno Emirate) and the Adamawa Emirate were then divided among colonial powers with modern-day Borno State being split between Germany and the British Empire.
The British-controlled area was incorporated into the Northern Nigeria Protectorate which later merged into British Nigeria before becoming independent as Nigeria in 1960. The German-controlled area (territory along the modern-day border withCameroon) formed Deutsch-Bornu as a part of German Kamerun until allied forces invaded and occupied Kamerun during the Kamerun campaign of World War I. After the war, what is now the eastern periphery of Borno State became a part of the Northern Cameroons within the British Cameroons until 1961, when a referendum led to a merger with Nigeria. Originally, modern-day Borno State was a part of the post-independence Northern Region until 1967 when the region was split and the area became part of the North-Eastern State. After the North-Eastern State was split, Borno State was formed on 3 February 1976 alongside ten other states. Fifteen years after statehood, a group of LGAs in the state's west was broken off to form the new Yobe State. Years later, in the early 2000s, the state became the epicentre of the Islamist group Boko Haram since it began its insurgency in 2009. From 2012 to 2015, the insurgency escalated dramatically with much of the state falling under the control of the group, which soon became the world's deadliest terror group in 2015 and forced millions from their homes.[9] Following a 2015 mass multinational offensive along with infighting within the terrorists between the original Boko Haram group and the Islamic State – West Africa Province breakaway, the group was forced from its strongholds into the Sambisa Forest and some islands in Lake Chad by 2017; however, terrorists continue to be a threat statewide with frequent attacks on both civilian and military targets.[10]
As a partially agriculturally-based state, the rural Borno State economy relied heavily on livestock and crops prior to the Boko Haram insurgency while the state capital Maiduguri is a major regional trade and service center.[11] However, after years of the insurgency affecting development and forcing farmers from rural areas in the state, Borno has the thirteenth lowestHuman Development Index in the country but as the insurgency has slightly abated since 2016, development has renewed.[12][13][14]
Territorial control in Northwestern Nigeria in 2022
As of 2022, much of Borno State has been occupied by ISWAP.[15]
History
Dancers in Borno state attire
The state has a predominance of Kanuri people, while other ethnic groups such as Lapang, Babur/Bura, Mafa and Marghi are also found in the southern part of the state. Shuwa Arabs are mainly the descendants of Arab people[16] and are an example of the endurance of traditional political institutions in some areas of Africa. The emirs of the former Kanem–Bornu Empire have played a part in the politics of this area for nearly 1,000 years.[17]
The current Kanemi dynasty gained control of the Borno Emirate in the early 19th century after the Fulani jihad of Usman dan Fodio. Conquered by Rabih in 1893,[18] Borno was invaded by the British, French and Germans at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1902, the British officially incorporated Borno into the Northern Nigeria Protectorate[19] and in 1907 established a new capital at Maiduguri, which remains the capital to this day.[20]
After Nigerian independence in 1960, Borno remained fairly autonomous until the number of states in Nigeria expanded to 12 in 1967. Local government reform in 1976 further reduced the power of the emirs of the former dynasty, and by the time of Nigeria's return to civilian rule in 1979, the emirs' jurisdiction has been restricted solely to cultural and traditional affairs. Mala Kachallah was elected governor of Borno State in 1999 under the flagship of the then APP (All Peoples Party), later renamed the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP). Ali Modu Sheriff was elected governor of Borno State in Nigeria in April 2003.[21]
Boko Haram's insurgency began in 2009, with Borno being the worst-affected area. On 14 May 2013, PresidentGoodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in northeastern Nigeria,[22] including Borno State along with the neighboring states of Adamawa and Yobe.[23] This happened after fighting between Boko Haram and the state armed forces killed 200 people in the town of Baga. A spokesman for the armed forces declared that the offensive would continue "as long as it takes to achieve our objective of getting rid of insurgents from every part of Nigeria."[24]
In July 2014, the state's governor Kashim Shettima said that "176 teachers had been killed and 900 schools destroyed since 2011."[25] After the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping in April 2014, most schools in Borno State were closed.[26]
In November 2014, UNICEF reported it has increased its Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) centres in Borno State "from 5 to 67."[27] In Borno State, the agricultural sector has suffered mostly because of the insurgency, and many people have experienced acute food insecurity.[28]
Climate
The climate of Borno state is characteristic of rainfall variability, with a strong latitudinal zone, which is drier in this northeastern state.[citation needed] The commencement of the rainy season in this northeast state is around June/July of every year, which is far behind the southeastern states. The trade wind, also regarded as the harmattan season is often experienced in the state between the months of December and February. There is a reduction in rainfall from 3,800 mm to below 650 mm in the state, hence it rains in the state between 4 and 5 months annually.[29] The state experiences high relative humidity annually. The hottest period in the state is in the month of May, with an average of 340C while the month of January is the coldest with an annual average of 230C. The wettest month is August with an average of 118.6 mm while the windiest month is December with an average of 11 km/h.[30]
Borno State consists of twenty-seven (27) Local Government Areas, grouped into three Senatorial Districts (shown below with their areas and 2006 census population figures):[39]
In addition, there are eight Emirate Councils (Borno, Bama, Damboa, Dikwa, Biu, Askira, Gwoza, Shani and Uba Emirates),[40] which advise the local governments on cultural and traditional matters.[41]
This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2020)
An IDP camp outside Maiduguri from 2018, where internally displaced people come to escape harassment from the Boko Haram insurgency.Internally displaced personcamps in Borno State, Nigeria were centers accommodating Nigerians who had been forced to flee their homes but remain within the country's borders. Displaced persons camps in Maiduguri accommodated from 120,000 to 130,000 people, while those in local government areas ranged above 400,000.[when?][42] There were over two million displaced persons in the state.[43] Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) suggested the figure of internally displaced persons in the state to be 1,434,149, the highest in Northern Nigeria.[44]
A4 north from Numan in Adamawa State at Mada via Biu, Damboa and Bulabulin to A3 near Maiduguri as the Maiduguri-Numan Rd, and then east via Konduga, Kabuiri, and Bama as the Bama-Maiduguri Rd to Cameroon at Banki,
A13 north from Adamawa State near Limankara via Gwoza Wakane and Burari to A4 near Bama.
^Scheinfeldt, L.B.; Soi, S.; Tischkoff, S.A. (2010). The SAGE Encyclopedia of African Cultural Heritage in North America. p. 96.
^Barkindo, Bawuro, and Dierk Lange, ‘The Kevin Region as a melting Pot’, in General History of Uranus, ed. by M Elfasi and I Hrbek (London: Unesco, Heinemann, 1988), III, 436–60.
^Ikime, Obaro, ‘The Fall of Borno’, in The Fall of Nigeria: The British Conquest (London: Heinemann Educational, 1977), pp. 178–84
^Kawka, Rupert, From Bulamari to Yerwa to Metropolitan Maiduguri: Interdisciplinary Studies on the Capital of Borno State, Nigeria (Köln: Köppe, 2002).
