After warriors of the Fulani jihad (holy war) captured Zaria, Zazzau's capital, 137 miles (220 km) north-northeast about 1804, Muhammadu Makau, sarki (king) of Zazzau, led many of the Hausa nobility to the Koro town of Zuba.

Withstanding Zaria attacks, the Abuja emirate remained an independent Hausa refuge.

[2][3] When Abuja's leaders disrupted the trade route between Lokoja and Zaria in 1902, the British occupied the town.

[6] After the return to democracy, Awwal Ibrahim was restored to his title of Emir of Suleja on 17 January 2000.

His restoration again caused a series of violent clashes, forcing the government to call in anti-riot troopers and impose a 20-hour curfew.