father dynasty death_date successor death_place birth_place title birth_date issue article_title name
ardo hassana fulani clan chief adamawa emirate 1848 muhammadu lawal ɓii adama yola '' ` wuro chekke '' ' '' -rrb- '' ' ` lamido fombina -lrb- lord of the south 1771 14 mansur , umaru , fadimatu , addo gurin , hauwa'u children , hamidu , bakari , haliru , zubairu , aliyu : , hamman , sani and bobbo ahmadu . '' ' '' ` lauwal , usman , modibo adama
 modibbo adama
modibo adama

adama ɓii ardo hassana -lrb- c. 1771 -- c. 1848 -rrb- , more commonly known as modibo adama , was a fulani scholar and holy warrior , who hailed from the ba'en clan of fulbe .
he led a jihad into the region of fumbina -lrb- in modern-day cameroon and nigeria -rrb- , opening the region for fulani colonisation .
as a result of adama 's constant warring , the fulani today make up the largest ethnic group in northern cameroon -lrb- at more than 60 % of the region 's entire population , which considering the fact that they were n't from the area , is a remarkable feat -rrb- , and islam is the dominant religion .
the wars also forced many peoples south into the forest region .
adama studied in hausaland and earned the title `` modibo '' -lrb- `` lettered one '' -rrb- for his scholarship .
upon finishing his studies , he returned home to gurin and learned of the jihad declared by fulani mystic usman dan fodio .
when he accompanied a delegation to visit usman , the leader ordered adama to extend his jihad east as `` lamido fumbina '' -lrb- ruler of the southlands -rrb- .
adama raised an army and attacked bata settlements near gurin .
he took the villages , and many more traditional fulbe leaders and new soldiers came to his side .
he next took on mandara , the largest and best organised state in the region .
he swept over several smaller settlements and eventually conquered the mandara capital , dulo , with ease .
while his men celebrated , however , the mandara army counterattacked and recaptured the town .
though he fought many more campaigns , adama now spent most of his time in yola , which became his capital .
he set about creating the administrative structure of his new state , which he named adamawa after himself .
adama ruled the empire , subordinate only to usman dan fodio in sokoto .
below him lay the heads of major settlements , known as lamibe -lrb- singular : lamido -rrb- .
the village formed the smallest unit of government .
upon adama 's death in 1847 , his son muhammadu lawal became lamido of adamawa .
the empire was not to last , however , as colonial battles and division eventually destroyed the independent fulani state .
the conquest had long-term repercussions , however .
the fulani became the dominant ethnic group in the region , and islam the major religion .
the herdsmen altered the land to be more suitable for herding cattle , their primary pursuit .
the jihad also pushed those peoples who had lived on the adamawa plateau south into the forest , the single most important event in the populating of southern cameroon .
