Azaghvana E-Book 2003 - Flipbook - Page 119
A week before the submission of the report, on 17th January, 'The Collective Punishment
(Johode Village) Order, 1954' had been issued, in which it was established that:
Lawan Buba was unlawfully killed by a number of persons unknown and the inhabitants of the
Village of Johode in the Gwoza District aforesaid failed to use all reasonable means to bring the
offender to justice: And whereas the inhabitants of the said Village of Johode themselves admit
their guilt and no section of the population has sought to exonerate itself from blame, although
ample opportunity has been afforded them…
A collective fine of £80 was imposed on all inhabitants, and blood money, at the standard rate
of five cows, was deducted from the fine and paid to the relatives of lawan Buba.
The subsequent inquiry report begins by referring to the Gwoza hills as an 'Unsettled District'
since the beginning of British administration, and then describes its peoples and their history
in general, followed by an introduction to Ghwa’a, referring to it as a closely-knit community.
The report says that they had always been very reliable as taxpayers, but also describes them
as being 'strongly conservative in outlook':
In this hill area, whose history has always been a turbulent one, live over 64,000 volatile Pagans in
a rudimentary state of development… The Azaghavana [Azaghvana] is the largest of the hill
Clans, and Johode, with 478 adult male tax-payers, is the largest of its eleven villages… Johode
Village itself is divided into four hamlets, each with a hamlet head. The two senior hamlet heads
receive a small monthly salary and are in addition members of the Pagan Court which meets twice
a week at Gwoza. …the pagans rarely build their compounds within 50 yards of one another with
the result that their dwellings are widely dispersed…
The Azaghavana Clan, unlike many of the others, has a long record of peacefulness, and indeed
not since 1951 when a military patrol was sanctioned for use against it has it given trouble. In the
event, the Village of Johode made its submission before the arrival of the patrol, which was then
used on the east and south-east sides of the hills. Since that date the Clan has co-operated to the
full with the administration; its few law-breakers have always been promptly surrendered and its
annual tax paid without difficulty. It is, however, strongly conservative in outlook and efforts in
post-war years to introduce vaccination campaigns, superphosphate fertiliser and the poisoning of
baboons have all met with obstinate resistance.
The responsibility for the administration of Gwoza District lies with the District Head, Galdima
Boyi[ 11], aided by his five Village Group Heads all of whom are Muslims… An administrative
Officer is stationed at Gwoza as Touring Officer for the area, under the Divisional Officer at
Bama, and has a detachment of twenty Nigeria Police to act as an escort in the Unsettled District.
The resettlement scheme is introduced next, followed by a description of the circumstances of
lawan Buba’s visit to Ghwa’a and an account of the events during the disturbances on the 10th
of October:
In brief the scheme is designed to encourage the Pagan farmer to leave his hills, where in spite of
all his agricultural ability he derives only with difficulty a living from the soil…
In September three men of Johode were selected to join… The District Head, however,
subsequently learned that on their return to Johode these men had been dissuaded from joining the
scheme… Because the district head and village head of Gwoza were otherwise engaged, he
selected one Lawan Buba as a substitute. Lawan Buba was a fellow-clansman of the Johode
people, although he had descended to the plains and embraced the Muslim faith some twenty-five
years previously. He had been for many years the Village Head of Gwoza, but his dismissal from
this post some three years ago for minor peculation had not affected the very high regard in which
he was held by the Pagans. Indeed it would not be an exaggeration to say that in Gwoza District
the prestige of the District Head alone exceeded his. The second representative was one Baraya.
He was born in Kunde… and for the last 18 months has been recognised as the District Head’s
usual messenger to Johode village.
Lawan Buba, Baraya, and three followers by name Nege, Umaru and Varra, left Gwoza at dawn to
climb to Johode to ascertain the reasons why the three volunteers for the Settlement Scheme had
Yerima Jato retired in 1947 on a pension. He had succeeded Sarking Yaki in 1927, and in 1939
became the first district head of Gwoza and Ashigashiya combined.
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