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OPINION: Tracing In Unusual Muslim Name [Monday Lines 2]

Published

4 months ago

March 3, 2025

By Lasisi Olagunju

In his column last Saturday, my friend and brother, Farooq Kperogi, reminisced his previous piece on unusual Muslim names in Nigeria which do not “seem to have any links with the rest of the Muslim world.” He listed ‘Badamasi’ as one of them.

Kperogi said some readers of his column traced for him what they thought was the etymology of ‘Badamasi’ to an Arab poet “whose book advanced students in traditional Arabic schools” in Hausaland. He said his readers added that the book, “a Sufi poem, is used as a resource for Arabic vocabulary lessons and that over time, it became popularly known as Badamasi, named after its author.” Kperogi, however, held that he had “not found any scholarly corroboration for the claim that Badamasi is the name of an Arab poet.” Instead, he noted that “there is a late nineteenth-century Ilorin Muslim scholar and poet by the name of Badamasi whose poems are often utilized to enhance Arabic vocabulary and are a staple in the curriculum of traditional Islamic schools. But it’s not clear if he is the original bearer of the name.”

Both Kperogi and his readers may be right. But, even if they are right, the question still remains: How did the author(s) get the name and what does it mean?

A few months before the British invaded and conquered Kano in 1903, a young man wandered into that city with the panache of the literate. He gave his name simply as Abd Allah. As usual in those days, he came with no surname. Historians say he was found to have originated in a place called Ghadames (Ghadamis) in the far north of Africa. He was not alone in Kano; he had uncles who formed the Ghadames community of Arabs. But, because he was well-loved in Kano, he became popular and known as Abd Allah el-Ghadamisi (Abd Allah the Ghadamisi); the toponym, Ghadames (Ghadamis) had provided for him a surname – Ghadamisi, a citizen of Ghadamis.

Because a man’s skill and competence will feed him even in a season of famine, Abd Allah soon found favour before God and man because his primary language was Arabic and he was literate in it. And, because he could read and write Arabic and had quickly amassed enormous competence in Hausa language, C. L. Temple, northern Nigeria’s Lieutenant Governor, employed him as an assistant. He spent some time with Temple, then moved to H. R. Palmer, another top colonial officer who was employed by the authorities to do rural tax assessment. It was Palmer who got Abd Allah to write his memoirs. That book, ‘Your Humble Servant: The Memoirs of Abd Allah Al-Ghadamisi’. There is a 1996 seminal article on it authored by Muhammad Sani Umar and John Hunwick. Because, sometimes an author gets more famous than his work, al-Ghadamisi’s name appears to have overwhelmed the book’s title.

We read former President Ibrahim Babangida in his autobiography (page 2) crediting his father’s name, Badamasi, to the title of a book. He wrote: “As I understand it, my grandfather named my father ‘Badamasi’ after a particular religious book that he consulted regularly. My grandfather was so fond of the book that he decided to name his second child after it, and that was how the name ‘Badamasi’ came into our lineage!” Could he be referring to Abd Allah Al-Ghadamisi’s memoirs?

Sheikh Adam Abdullah el-Ilory (1917-1992) was the founder of the Markaz, Agege, Lagos. He was a highly regarded Islamic scholar and historian, and for that, he got decorated home and abroad. John Hunwick, British academic, author and Africanist, in his ‘The Arabic Literary Tradition of Nigeria’ published in 1997, described Sheikh Adam as “the greatest (Arabic/ Islamic scholar) that Nigeria has produced in the twentieth century.” Adam was educated far and wide and, he, significantly, was at Al-Azhar University, Cairo. He wrote books on Astronomy and Philosophy, on Yoruba origin and history; Islamic history and jurisprudence, Arabic language and its history, etc, etc and delivered hundreds of very seminal lectures.

In one of his lectures that I uploaded on my Facebook wall on 22 March, 2024, Sheikh Adam traced the history of Islam in Hausaland to a group of itinerant clerics and merchants from Ancient Mali. The cleric added that “with the Malians were the Ghadamisi”, the people of Ghadames, a town built on an oasis in northwestern Libya. Geographers locate that place today near the Tunisian and Algerian borders. For centuries, the town was very popular as a centre for Trans Saharan Trade, particularly, the Arab flank of the Slave Trade.

The Sheikh Adam story is better told in his very words but he spoke in Yoruba; I try some translation (and transliteration) here: “The Ghadamisi. They are a tribe, a whole city. Àwon olórúko president wa ní Nigeria nìyen (they are our president’s namesakes). That is where he (Babangida) got his name, Badamasi. Some pronounce that name as Bidimos. They use Badamasi in Hausaland; we use Gbadamosi in Yorubaland. Bidimosi (Badmus, Bidmus) is a recent variant…It is not as popular as Ghadamisi. With the Ghadamisi were the Wangara. The Wangara brought Islam to Hausaland.” The period he spoke of was around the 14th century.

Sheikh Adam linked the Wangara with the Ghadamisi. You would want to ask what brought together those two disparate tribes. The Malian city of Gao was a major hub for trade and cultural exchange in those distant days. History told us that the “westernmost of the three central routes of the trans Saharan trade was the Ghadames Road, which ran from the Niger River at Gao north to Ghat and Ghadames before terminating at Tripoli.” That route provided the common course for the lives of the Wongara and the people of Ghadames in their joint journey of trade and faith to West Africa. It is in The Kano Chronicles that “during the reign of Yaji, the King of Kano from 1349 to 1385, the Wangarawa came from Melle (Mali) bringing the religion of Islam.” The Wangarawa came as clerics, marabouts and scholars.

Kperogi thinks Hausa’s ‘Badamasi’ was “Yorubized to ‘Gbadamosi’ and later anglicized to ‘Badmus’ in Yoruba land.” If he reads me here, and if he agrees with Sheikh Adam that ‘Ghadames/ Ghadamisi’ is the root of ‘Gbadamosi/Badamasi’, I hope he will rethink this conclusion. I say so because between ‘Badamasi’ and ‘Gbadamosi’, the one with the ‘Gb’ sound sounds closer to ‘Ghadamisi’, their root.

News

Falana Slams Government Over Failure To Prosecute Suspected Killers In Benue

Published

31 minutes ago

June 22, 2025

Editor

Human rights lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana (SAN), has criticized the Federal and Benue State Governments for consistently failing to prosecute suspects arrested in connection with ongoing violent attacks across Benue State.

In a statement issued under the platform of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), which he chairs, Falana lamented that although hundreds of suspects have been arrested over the years for crimes ranging from illegal possession of firearms to mass killings and kidnapping, most of them are never charged or brought to trial.

The legal luminary’s reaction follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue, during which he directed the Nigeria Police Force to arrest and prosecute all those involved in the latest wave of violence in the state. However, Falana described the president’s order as potentially symbolic, pointing out that previous arrests had not led to convictions or justice for victims.

Falana also berated the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, for alleging that residents of Yelwata community provided shelter for the killers. He described the statement as an attempt to shift blame onto victims instead of addressing the systemic failures of security and governance.

Providing a timeline of law enforcement actions, Falana stated:

On December 30, 2024, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hassan Yabanet, announced the arrest of 273 suspects involved in capital crimes, along with the recovery of 20 firearms and 51 rounds of ammunition.

On January 17, 2024, Police spokesperson Olumuyiwa Adejobi revealed that an illegal firearms factory had been uncovered in Benue. Two suspects—Friday Aduduakambe and Iorwashima Iornyume—were arrested, and a cache of weapons, including nine locally made pistols and one unfinished AK-47, was seized.

On April 17, 2025, Governor Hyacinth Alia disclosed that three herdsmen were arrested over the killing of 11 people in the Otobi community, Otukpo Local Government Area.

On June 19, 2025, Community Volunteer Guards apprehended three suspected kidnappers at the Otukpo motor park with ransom money collected from their victims.

According to Falana, between January and June 2025 alone, dozens of violent crime suspects have been arrested, including 43 suspected killers in the last 10 days. Despite these arrests, no significant prosecutions have been reported.

“It is undoubtedly clear that the authorities have continued to treat suspected killers in Benue State like sacred cows,” he said. “The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Benue State, Mr. Fidelis Mnyim, must take immediate steps to ensure that justice is served.”

Falana stressed that the right to life, guaranteed under Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution, is meaningless unless the state acts decisively to punish those who violate it.

He warned that unless concrete action is taken, the ongoing culture of impunity will only worsen the bloodshed and erode public trust in the rule of law.

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Troops Nab 8 Kidnap Suspects, Rescue 2 Victims In Kwara

Published

50 minutes ago

June 22, 2025

Editor

Troops of the 22 Armoured Brigade, deployed at the Forward Operation Base (FOB) Patigi, in Kwara have nabbed eight suspected kidnappers and rescued two victims.

This is contained in a statement signed by Lt. Stephen Nwankwo, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations of the Brigade in Ilorin on Sunday.

“Acting on credible intelligence, troops launched a tactical operation on Saturday, targeting a hideout on the outskirts of Latandaji Village in Patigi Local Government Area.

“During the engagement, troops encountered mild resistance, but swiftly subdued the criminals with superior firepower,” he said.

Nwankwo said that the operation led to the rescue of two kidnap victims, identified as Amos Moses and Philip Michael, while eight suspected kidnappers were arrested.

He, however, said that one Mohammed Mohammed sustained gunshot wounds during the exchange of fire and had been taken to hospital for medical attention.

The brigade spokesman said that further operational exploits in the area led to the recovery of two motorcycles and two expended cartridge shells, believed to be used by the suspects.

“All arrested individuals are currently in military custody for preliminary investigation and will be handed over to relevant authorities for prosecution,” Nwankwo said.

He said that the operation underscores the Nigerian Army’s unwavering commitment to ensure safety of lives and property across the country.

“We urge members of the public to continue providing actionable intelligence to security forces in order to dismantle criminal networks.

“The Nigerian Army remains resolute in its mission to safeguard communities and restore lasting peace in all regions of deployment,” he said.

News

Ooni-Alaafin Feud: Ooni’s Palace Reacts To Viral Video

Published

1 hour ago

June 22, 2025

Editor

The palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has described the viral video depicting an encounter between the Ooni and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, at a meeting in Abuja as incomplete and edited to misrepresent the peaceful interaction between the two monarchs.

The two traditional rulers were guest at the West Africa Economic Summit held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja on Saturday.

In a statement issued by the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare on Sunday, he said the two traditional rulers have a peaceful interaction when the Alaafin proceeded to greet the Ooni who was at the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre before the Alaafin.

While blaming the Oyo Legacies, a media wing of the palace for posting an edited video on the social media to create the misrepresentation, he acknowledged that the true situation at the event showed that Alaafin upon arrival went straight to greet the Ooni before returning to his seat the VIP centre before proceeding to the main stage.

“The Ooni of Ife had already been ushered in and was majestically seated at the VIP waiting room of the conference centre alongside some of his business associates and friends

‘His Imperial Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo few minutes later arrived his own royal candour and walked straight (even ignoring his allocated seat) to the Ooni’s seat for royal greetings while the Arole Oduduwa(in his usual 2nd-To-None humble character) reciprocated the honour accorded him by the Alaafin as he rose to welcome his brother traditional ruler while both exchange pleasantries and few jokes before Alaafin eventually went to take his seat, which he had earlier bypassed alongside his amiable queen.

“When they were both called upon to move into the main hall of the conference centre, it was the Ooni that first left the VIP waiting room, and almost same time followed by the Alaafin to take their respective seats officially tagged in their names inside the hall where the event was ready to be kicked off by the Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, he said.

While blaming the Alaafin media handlers for the misrepresentation on social media, Olafare stressed the need for the media wing to represent the palace and its activities properly to avoid leading the public into wrong assumption.

“Having set the record straight above, it is hereby found so disheartening the manner Oyo Legacies, who blatantly refused to report their principal in his true and positive conduct of virtuous greatly displayed in his exchange of pleasantries with the Ooni and other dignitaries in Abuja yesterday. Either you like it or not, members of the public must react to such information disseminations.

“The roles of media handlers to their principals primarily involve acting as a communication bridge between the principal and the public and other stakeholders, they must work to support their principal by managing his image in a way to get him loved and respected in the society not to get him hated and disrespected as the said video has caused.

“Kabiyesi Alaafin Owoade did excellently well in his approach to Kabiyesi Arole Oduduwa, Ooni Ogunwusi in Abuja yesterday (Saturday) and it should have been so adequately reported by The Oyo Legacies showcasing him as a monarch of peace and harmony that he is and not the otherwise, which the video has portrayed him.

“Alaafin Owoade, going by his conduct yesterday, is a man of peace and someone who values relationships. He even seized the opportunity yesterday to book an appointment to visit the Ooni at Ile-Ife before this week runs out”, the statement added.