[1] Modibbo Adama received a flag from Shehu Usman dan Fodio to lead a jihad in Fombina ('southlands') during the Sokoto revolution.
Adama's upbringing was deeply rooted in Islam, as his father, a Muslim, provided him with religious education until he was eleven years old.
Recognizing the limitations of available Islamic education in the region, Adama was sent away to continue his studies and was accompanied by Hamman Song, a Bolaro of the Wolarɓe Fulɓe.
He later moved to Birnin Ngazargamo, the capital of the Bornu empire, where he sought guidance from the renowned scholar Mallam Kiari.
Adama immersed himself in his studies under Kiari's guidance for about a decade, absorbing a wide range of Islamic teachings and principles.
[2]: 48 Upon returning to Wuro Chekke, Adama was met with the news of his father's death during a local conflict involving the Fulbe and Bata communities.
Adama left Wuro Chekke not long after receiving the news and joined the Ba'en Fulbe in the Faro valley.
Recognizing the need for the spread of Islamic teachings and the religious development of the local Fulbe community, both Adama and Modibbo Hamman intensified their efforts in this regard.
[2]: 48 The news of Usman dan Fodio's Sokoto jihad, initiated in 1804, eventually reached the Fulbe community in Fombina.
Furthermore, the Fulbe migrants who had fled the regions affected by the jihadists' advancements, particularly from Bornu, played a crucial role in disseminating news about the Sokoto jihad.
These individuals, seeking refuge from the conflict, carried with them tales of the unfolding events and the growing influence of Usman dan Fodio's movement.
After much deliberation, the leaders agreed on a course of action and chose to send a delegation to Sokoto, where Shehu Usman was based, seeking his guidance.
He directed Adama to propagate Islam across the Fombina region and to distribute jihad flags among the various Ardo'en to carry out the mission of spreading the faith among the Fulbe and pagan peoples.
Adama's role extended beyond local leadership; he was designated as a liaison between the Ardo'en and the central authority in Sokoto.
This notion was deeply ingrained in the Sokoto leadership's mindset, and subsequent Lamibe Fombina were entrusted with the task of monitoring the signs of the Mahdi's appearance.
Adama forbade them to pillage or to kill indiscriminately, but enemy nations were given two choices: convert to Islam or become a tributary state.
The non-Fulani Muslims of the Adamawa largely rejected Adama's jihad; they viewed it as little more than an excuse to spread Fulani hegemony.
Some of them rejected his primacy for various reasons: He was from a fairly humble background, he owned little wealth, his army was still small, and he lacked charisma.
The makeshift army made headquarters at Gurin, a fort at the junction of the Faro and Benue Rivers where Fulani warriors had regrouped after fighting the Bata in 1803.
[5] Modibbo Adama's force continued their battles against Bata and Lala peoples as far as the Gongola River, where he met the Lamido of Gombe, Buba Yero.
Bitter relations between Njobdi and Hammam would prove a major obstacle in Adama's quest to maintain a cohesive empire.
Adama turned his attentions on the only major state in Fumbina that could present a threat to his fledgling emirate: Mandara.
Outside of the Mandara capital, Dulo, Adama demanded that the king, Bukar Djiama, swear his allegiance and convert to Islam untainted with paganism.
He did this with Usman's advice; he was to foster understanding between his people and their governors, facilitate communication between elders and their subordinates, and prevent the stratification of society based on class or wealth.
At the centre was the emir al-Mu'minin ("commander of the faithful"), Adama himself, ruling from Yola and answering only to Usman dan Fodio in Sokoto.
However, likely due to her royal lineage and the fact that Gurin, her father's domain, was still the capital of Adamawa at the time, Yasebo resisted these expectations.
This resistance created tension in her relationship with Adama, which eventually collapsed after an incident in which she refused to let him enter her hut, leaving him standing in the rain.
This incident likely influenced Adama's decision to move his capital to Ribadu in that same year, leaving Yasebo and Hamman behind.