Zamfara

Zamfara State exists because one of the original Hausa kingdoms demanded recognition - then gold and banditry redefined it. The Zamfara Kingdom was established in the 11th century with Dutsi as capital; Gobir destroyed Birnin Zamfara in the 18th century, relocating the seat to Anka. Usman dan Fodio's 1804 jihad absorbed Zamfara into the Sokoto Caliphate. Created from Sokoto State in 1996, Zamfara became Nigeria's first state to introduce Sharia law under Governor Ahmad Sani Yerima - a precedent eleven other states followed. When global gold prices spiked in 2009, artisanal mining exploded in Maru, Anka, Talata Mafara, and Bungudu. Lead poisoning from ore processing caused a public health crisis requiring international intervention. Governor Matawalle announced Nigeria's first gold reserve in 2020, launched with 31kg of locally mined and refined gold. But gold attracted bandits: an estimated 10,000 armed groups destroyed 120 villages, displaced 50,000 people. The 2021 Jangebe school abduction of 279 girls and 2022 massacres killing 200+ showed the crisis depth. The state motto "Farming is Our Pride" reflects traditional dependence on peanuts, cotton, tobacco, and grains - now disrupted by violence. Over 60% extreme poverty compounds the challenge. By 2026, whether gold formalization and security improvement succeed will determine Zamfara's trajectory.