WHY THE JIHAD NEVER EXTENDED TO THE SOUTH EAST

Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio was camped with his military commanders on the banks of the River Benue around a bonfire. Everyone was in high spirits and there was plenty of suya (beef kabobs) and fura du nunu (fermented milk) to pass around. Following their defeat by the Yoruba, Edo, and the Tiv, the Fulani Jihadists were looking for easier victories. They eagerly awaited the return of Adamu Bello and his scouts from Igbo land. While scouting under cover they learnt some few Igbo words and thus “nye mu mmili” (give me water) became “nyamiri.”

“You look scared, what did you find in Igbo land?,” inquired Uthman Dan Fodio.
“Those Igbos are fearless and ferocious. After killing their enemies, they are beheaded. Their heads are put on rectangular trays and they dance around the village square with the trays on their heads while chanting war songs. It was a spectacle to behold”
“Are you serious?”
“Why would I lie to my Caliph?”
“Adamu, are you sure that you are not being followed.”
“Yes, Caliph, we took every precautionary measure available to cover our tracks.”
Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio shouts, “Kai, imagine my head being carried around on a tray for days by dancing pagans. That is a sure path to hell. As a Muslim, I must be buried within 24 hours of death.”

He shouted “Allahu Akbar” and ordered all his men to mount their horses and they rode off into the night. They covered 100 miles in one day and were still trembling with fear deep into the Caliphate. The fear of the Nyamiris (Igbos) persists in the Caliphate to this day.