GROUP 3
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BRANSAH DAVID – 10715212
GBENYA DOREEN – 10734206
TOPIC: SEMOLIKA & THE BRITISH - ESSENCE OF “HIGHLAND PRIDE”
Semolika is a village in the modern Edo state and has an elevation of about of 1500 feet. Semolika
is situated east of Aiyetoro, and southwest of Ogbe in modern Nigeria. In the 20th Century or
1900’s, the British led by Lord Lugard involved an indirect rule in Northern Nigeria and this
indirect rule aided the British to have control over protectorates they had annexed through the
support of the chiefs and local authorities in the Northern and Eastern Nigerian enclave. As time
passed by the British were able to annex the Sokoto Caliphate and established a territory out of it.
This territory was divided into provinces. Sokoto and Gwandu in the north -west, Kano and
Kantagum in the north, and Borno in the north-east were among the three territorial divisions. The
south west had Ilorin, the south had Kabba and Sabba, and the south east had Muri and Yola. The
British had to appease their empire at all times in order to put a stop to rebellions by various
communities such as the Fulani and the Hausa. The semolika were a violent people from the Kabba
area, according to history. They went to battle with the British, and this tale explains who the
traditional people of Semolika are, what they feel their highland pride to be, and also the role
performed by the Iggra during the conflict between the British and the Semolika of Kabba.
According to (Afeadie, 2019) “Semolika is on the borders of the Egbira Kukuruku country and has
always maintained a reputation for being a most unruly and rebellious place”. The inhabitants of
Semolika had been able to establish a sense of genuine terror across the district it was located to
the extent that not even the Fulani or Hausa were able to defeat or vanquish them. They trained
their young ones to be very violent and villainous such that the heads of the defeated enemies in
wars were turned into cups for drinking water. Semolika was situated and scattered on the summit
of a rocky boulder strewn hill in a manner that even the inhabitants used their hands to climb to
get to the top. “Takaman Duchi” which means highland pride was the pride of the Semolika people
because the natural strong positioning helped increase them in isolation and made it difficult for
them to be attacked. Geographically speaking, the location of Semolika at the peak or top of the
mountain made them more advantageous over their neighboring ethnic groups within the district.
Because of their continuous usage of the mountainous route, it made them physically stronger than
their enemies to fight any form of warfare and also their presence on top of the mountain made it
easier to locate their enemies while approaching. According to (Anderson, 2006), They had caves
around their mountains which were used as a protective mechanism and hiding place in times of
war.
A vivid warfare on the 4th of October between the British led by Lieut Browne who was in
command of the preventive service patrol in the Kabba province against the Semolika people. In
this warfare the commander used a party of 30 soldiers, three ammunition carriers to cross the
Semolika hill. However, the Semolika people ambushed the British and killed four soldiers and
left many severely injured. They seized the ammunitions from the British. The British, well known
as one of the great powers in the world retaliated by finding an ally that would enable them track
down the Samolika. They succeeded in getting Iggra – a province beneath Semolika who have
been brutalized by the Semolika. They aided the British force to capture Semolika of which many
inhabitants of Semolika died, others went into hiding in caves and there was instability. Eventually
the king of Semolika sent his wife and son to the British to surrender. The British decided to bring
Semolika under the rule of Iggra.
In conclusion, the mountains and hills of which the Semolika were located was a strategic position
that made them unique from the other ethnic groups in the district. They being able to conquer the
initial British army portrays how strong they were and their ability to locate their enemies from
the hill top. Indeed, the highland was the pride of the Semolika people - Takaman Duchi though
they were later defeated by the British with the aid of the Iggra.
REFERENCES
Afeadie, P. A. (2019, July 27). The Semolika Expedition Of 1904: A Participant Account. pp. 119.
Anderson, J. (2006). Indirect Rule in Africa. Lagos: Dream Deep Works.