Kanta Kotal

Muhammadu Kanta (died 1561), also known as Kanta Kotal, was a Hausa warrior-king and founder of the Kebbi Empire, the last of the Hausa states to emerge. Kanta rose from humble beginnings to establish a small but formidable empire that resisted both the powerful Songhai and Kanem-Bornu empires.

Kanta rose to prominence as a military commander in the service of the Songhai Empire, joining Askia the Great's campaign to conquer Hausaland in 1513. However, in 1516, he rebelled against Songhai rule after a dispute over war spoils, successfully defeating the forces sent to suppress him. Declaring independence, he established the Kebbi Kingdom and launched expansionist campaigns, conquering vast territories stretching from the Niger River to the Sahara Desert. To the north, he conquered Asben and Aïr; to the south, Nupe and Borgu; to the east, Zamfara and Zazzau; and to the west, Arewa and Zaberma. He seized control of Gobir, Katsina, Kano, Yauri, Zazzau, and other nearby states. His military acumen enabled him to repel both Songhai and Kanem-Bornu forces, solidifying Kebbi's dominance in the region. His reign saw the development of fortified cities such as Surame, whose defensive walls still stand to this day.

Throughout his rule, Kanta was constantlay waging war against his neighbours, particularly against the powerful Kanem-Bornu Empire, which sought to curb Kebbi's influence. Despite multiple large-scale battles, including one in which Bornu fielded 100,000 men, Kanta maintained his independence. In his later years, he led a retaliatory campaign against Bornu but was wounded in a skirmish near Katsina, ultimately succumbing to his injuries. To protect the secrecy of his burial site, his followers constructed multiple tombs along his journey back to Kebbi.

Frustrated by being passed over for the position, Kanta left his village and became a cattle grazer. He traveled across Hausaland, moving westward through Gobir and Zamfara before crossing the Rima River. He eventually settled in a village, which some historians identify as Surame, while others suggest it was Leka. Kanta became renowned for his exceptional physical strength and skill in boxing and wrestling, defeating all his opponents and earning the epithet 'Kotal' ('no challenger'). He wore a white ram's skin round his loins, an armlet of the same skin, and his fighting hand was wrapped in the hairs of a white ram's tail. Due to his reputation as a champion boxer, Kanta attracted a sizable following and soon set his sights on overthrowing the ruling Fulani Magaji of the village. With the support of his followers, he successfully led a rebellion that resulted in the Magaji's death, after which he assumed leadership. Rather than adopting the title of Magaji, Kanta took on the more prestigious title of Sarki ('king' or 'chief'). Kanta on returning with the prince from his expedition against Agades hoped to receive, on arrival in his country, his share of the spoils which had been taken. Disappointed in this, he mentioned the matter to the Dendi-Fari (note: this is not the name of a person, but the title of an officer) who replied, "If you make to the prince a claim of such a kind you will get yourself treated as a rebel." Kanta made no reply. Then when his followers came to find them and said to him, "Where is our share of the spoils? We have not seen it yet. Why do you not claim it?" he replied, "I have asked for it and the Dendi-Fari assured me that if I persisted in claiming it I should be treated as a rebel. Now I do not want to be the only one treated as a rebel, if you will support me I will make a claim?" "Good," they cried, "we will be treated as rebels as well as you." After this Kanta approached the Dendi-Fari, renewed his request and received a refusal. The rebellion broke out at once. At its height, Kebbi stretched from the Niger River to the Sahara Desert, with Kanta successfully resisting both the Songhai Empire to the west and the Bornu Empire to the east. Kanta reportedly used a copper-prowed canoe manned by fifty oarsmen to travel across the vast network of towns he ruled during the seasonal floods.

War with Bornu Map of western Hausaland in 1760. In the early 18th century, the Kebbi Empire fragmented following a rebellion by Zamfara, Gobir, and Agadez, which had formed an alliance against their overlord. Although no detailed records of Kanta's wars exist, it is known that one of his most formidable adversaries was the Kanem-Bornu Empire, once the suzerain of Hausaland. The Mais of Bornu viewed with alarm the rise of Kanta's small but impressive empire, who saw it as a direct challenge to their dominance over the trans-Saharan trade routes. One of their most famous encounters took place during the reign of either Mai Idris Katakarmabi (r. 1504–1526) or Mai Ali II (r. 1545–1546). The Bornu army marched across Hausaland, pursuing Kanta's forces all the way back to the Kebbi capital, Surame. There, the Kebbawa mounted a fierce defense against the besieging forces, though they suffered heavy casualties.

As the Bornu army prepared for a final assault on the walls of Surame, they were met with a surprising sight. The defenders stood resolutely at their posts, each grinning confidently at the approaching enemy. Unknown to the Bornu forces, many of these defenders were actually dead soldiers, propped up in their places. Kanta had slit their lips to create the illusion that they were grinning at the attackers. The unsettling sight of the seemingly confident, grinning soldiers made the Bornu commander believe that the Kebbawa vastly outnumbered his forces. Fearing that his army was at a disadvantage, he called off the assault, lifted the siege, and withdrew his troops. This event is the origin of the Hausa phrase "dariya ba loto," meaning "laughter without end."

Kanta's fortified towns Kanta established and fortified several towns, including three capitals. After conquering the settlement that would become Birnin Kebbi, alongside his wife Makulo (Ayeshe), an Aïr princess, he constructed his first capital, Birnin Leka. This city was formed by merging nine separate settlements, which he then fortified with defensive walls.

Death Years after the failed Bornu siege of Surame, Kanta launched a retaliatory campaign, marching his army to Bornu. It is said that he won seven pitched battles against the Mai's army, though he was halted just short of reaching the capital. On his return to Surame, Kanta was wounded in a skirmish at Rimin dan Ashita, a settlement near Ingawa in Katsina, where he was struck by a poisoned arrow. He succumbed to his injuries at Jiruwa.

To keep the location of his final resting place a secret, Kanta's remains were transported back to Kebbi, with twelve tombs constructed along the way to obscure the true site of his burial. His vast wealth is believed to have been buried beneath a large, flat-topped hill near Gungu.