Gade Language At Zuba Niger State

History Of Zuba and Gade language in Niger
State
Zuba people are koro by tribe who trace their
origin to the Jukuns (Kororofa), that came into
Abuja area /Niger state in the 15 th century.
History has it to say that the Koro of Abuja
Area /Niger state are divided into two group.
Zuba koros are of first koro settlers and the koro
Nulu as the second group. The settler call the
first second settlers “ Afiki” meaning people
(koros) of the north. The Koros are said to be
earliest settlers in the old Abuja Area founding
chiefdoms and other people came to live among
them for protection.
The first Koro settlers comprise the Koros that
settled around the Zumwa (Zuma) rock. They
had these settlements: Shinapa, chaci, Zuma,
Luki, Esa, Yeku, Huntu, Wagu ‘Kasa’ and wagu
‘Bisa’ (Gwari, Gade and koro by Shuaibu and
Hassan).Zuba people were among the earliest
Koro arrivals into the Abuja Area /Niger State.
They came from the formal Benue, Kano and
Zaria provinces, with particular reference to
Lafia, Doma, Zaria and Kano directions. They
first entered the area through their soothsayers
believing that they should go and live near
Zumwa (Zuma) rock. They obeyed their
soothsayers and all settled within a mile radius
around the Zumwa (Zuma) rock (Gwari, Gade,
and Koro by Shuaibu and Hassan) the Zumwa
rock become their very important centre idol and
took traditional ownership of it under the
leadership of Agora of shinapa which later
become Zuba.
Zumwa is from two Koro words that is “Ezhu-
mwaba”. Ezhu ,’ means “ guinea fowl,’’ mwaba
means “place of catching”. ‘The Zumwa rock is
to the north of the present Zuba, although there
are two rocks being referred to. The big rock is
called Zumwa (Zuma) but the actual Zumwa
rock is a smaller sacred stone inside the forest
A SHORT HISTORY OF ZUBA
While in Dubwomu; their Koro kith and kins from
Kutumbawa in Kano came to join them. But the
place was not large enough to accommodate
them because of the large number of
Kutumbawa Koros who had horses. They
therefore decided to move to a large and
secured place. They decided to settle at the
guinea fowl place called “ Ezuba” (Zuba) very
near ‘Dubwomu’. They were joined by Ganagana
of Duma in the then lapai Emirate. The
movement from Duma was as a result of the war
incursion of the Fulani in the 19 th century. All
the groups had started intermarrying and
speaking each others languages. The Koro
language has greatly been affected by that of
the Ganagana language. The Koro kutumbawa
were speaking Hausa affected the original Koro
language too.
The Koro Kutumbawa were also Muslims
haven received Islam before coming to Zuba.
The Koros settled at one place but in wards at
the old Zuba. The pagan ward who were also the
original settles, was called ‘Kukwadagba’.
However, the Koros and Ganaganas have been
very much integrated. This goes to explain why
the Koro with Zuba connections in Abuja/Niger
State speak Ganagana and can be referred to as
such ( Gwari Gade and Koro by SHUAIBU and
Hassan). From the old Zuba, they moved to
Gwarinpa, the new Zuba, during the reign of HRH
Datsu Salihu (Mijin Gbako) of Zuba and HRH
Musa Angulu, the Emire of Abuja (Suleja) in
about 1931. Meanwhile, the other first Koro
settlers around the Zuma rock, like the Luki,
Yeku, Esa, Wagu Bisa and Wagu Kasa including
other settlers from Shinapa ( Zuba ) moved to
settle at Tuci, Numbwa, Gwazumu, Lafia, Domwa,
Laka, Iwa, Idu, and some to Kaffin Koro area in
the present day Paikoro L.G.A of Niger State
long before the new Zuba came into existence