Laminu Njitiya

Laminu Njitiya (died 1871) was a 19th-century Shuwa Arab aristocrat who served as an influential adviser to Umar bin Muhammad al-Kanemi, the Shehu of Bornu.

[1] Initially a highway bandit, Laminu became a follower of influential courtiers of the Shehu, including Mallam Tirab, and later his son, al-Hajj Bashir.

He began his career as a highwayman in Magumeri, a fief of Mallam Tirab, an influential adviser to Muhammad al-Kanemi, the Shehu of Bornu.

Dr Heinrich Barth, a German explorer who visited Bornu in the 1850s, described Laminu as the "shameless left hand of the Vizier," condemning him for his "hard-heartedness and total want of gentle feelings.

This tension led to open conflict in November 1853, forcing the Shehu to impose a curfew in Kukawa, Bornu's capital.

He led several expeditions, which resulted in the Bornu army conquering large portions of the Marghi country, located to the south of the kingdom.

Gustav Nachtigal, a German explorer who was in Kukawa at the time, considered his death a great calamity for Bornu and for Umar who had lost his only 'honest adviser'.

"[4] After Laminu's death, his son Abba Aji (also known as Sanda Laminumi) inherited his fief and part of his wealth but was soon dispossessed following a serious conflict with Shehu Bukar.

Kyari's son, Abba Sadiq, eventually became the Waziri of Borno under Shehu Mustafa bin Umar al-Kanemi.