Umaru Nagwamatse

Umaru Nagwamatse (; 18061876) was the founder and the first ruler (Sarkin Sudan) of the Kontagora Emirate. He was the grandson of Usman dan Fodio and the son of the second sultan of the Sokoto Caliphate, Sultan Abu Bakr Atiku.

Life Umaru Nagwamatse was born in 1806. He was the 10th son of Abu Bakr Atiku, the second Caliph of Sokoto (r. 1837–1842) and a son of Usman dan Fodio.

As a murabitun While still a young man, Nagwamatse was appointed as the administrator of the ribat (garrison town) of Gwamatse, a settlement in the Rima Valley, about a day's march from the city of Sokoto. However, during the reign of Caliph Aliyu Babba (r. 1842–1859), he was deposed for 'overreaching himself' and recalled to Sokoto. His early association with the ribat earned him the nickname 'Umaru na Gwamatse' ('Umaru of Gwamatse').

Emir of Kontagora

The territory Nagwamatse now set his sights on was vast—at least ten thousand square miles—and inhabited by many pagan tribes. The dense forests and the prevalence of tsetse flies allowed these peoples to fiercely resist subjugation by the more powerful surrounding states, particularly the Sokoto Caliphate, which relied heavily on cavalry warfare. However, this did not deter Nagwamatse and his army of mercenaries, who were hoping for booty and slaves.

In 1863, the Gbagyi rose against Nagwamatse but were subdued after a year of fighting. Having secured his position in the east, Nagwamatse turned his attention to the west, which was under the Yauri Emirate, a vassal state of the Gwandu Emirate. Since 1844, Yauri had been embroiled in a violent dynastic conflict. The current Emir, Yakuba, had ruled the Emirate since the death of his father, Jibrilu Gajere, who had seized the throne by killing the previous Emir, Abubakar Jatau. Yakuba was an unpopular ruler, and most of his subjects favored his cousin Suleimanu, continuing the civil strife.

However, in 1866, Ahmadu Zaruku died, and the Kebbi war ended the following year. This allowed the Emir to issue a stern warning to Nagwamatse, cautioning him against further encroachment into his territory. Unfortunately, the warning came too late, and the Emir had to concede that eastern Yauri had been lost to Nagwamatse.

Legacy Nagwamatse's son, Ibrahim, the 3rd Emir of Kontagora. He was notorious for his slave-raids in the late 19th-century Umaru Nagwamatse is remembered as a successful, independent and somewhat high-living prince at Sokoto.

Fort Nagwamatse Fort Nagwamatse is an army barracks located in Kontagora, Niger State, owned by the Nigerian Army and named in honor of Nagwamatse.

Rijiyar Nagwamatse

Rijiyar Nagwamatse ('Nagwamatse's well'), located in Tadali village near Kontagora, has been a source of water for over 150 years. According to legend, Nagwamatse scratched the ground with his right hand, causing water to miraculously gush forth, allowing his army to perform ablution for the late afternoon prayer after an expedition. The local villagers, who had long struggled with a lack of drinking water, later dug a well to preserve the water at the site. The well is now a tourist attraction.