Gombe

Gombe lies in the savanna country of the Gongola basin. The region takes its name from Gombe Abba, an earlier seat of the emirate founded by the Fulani scholar and leader Buba Yero. Among its neighbours were the Jukun settlements of Pindiga and Kalam and the hill communities of the Tangale and Waja.

Buba Yero received a flag from Usman dan Fodio during the jihad that reshaped the politics of northern Nigeria. He established his authority in the Gombe country and made Gombe Abba a centre from which he campaigned against Pindiga and Kalam. The emirate's raids reached as far as Adamawa beyond the Benue. In 1833 part of its territory was separated to form the emirate of Muri for the ruler's brother.