By
Mas’ud Bello, Ph.D.
Department of History &
International Studies
Federal University Gusau, Nigeria
Masudbello@fugusau.edu.ng
&
Sani Ibrahim
Department of History &
International Studies
Federal University Gusau,
Saniibtahim@fugusau.edu.ng
Abstract
There have been chains of
discussions on the emergence of Yandoto as a centre of scholarship, but one
aspect that has been neglected is the narratives on the peopling of the area by
migrant scholars from outside the geographical zone who enriched the
advancement of learning in the centre. Yandoto is located (now its ruins) in a
region known as Katsina Laka, 40km south of Gusau, in present-day Zamfara
State. Contrary to propositions that the town of Yandoto was located on the
boundary between Katsina and Zamfara and was never under the dictates of the
rulers of Zamfara Kingdom, evidence suggests that Yandoto enjoyed a degree of
political autonomy because it was in existence before the Zamfara Kingdom. Its
neutral political status served as an added advantage to its development as a
citadel of learning and served as the major pull factor for scholars and learners
from different parts of West Africa. Most of the palace scholars employed in
Katsina were drafted from ancient Yandoto. Several scholars have argued the
legality of the Sokoto Jihadists' attack on the city and the justification for
the subsequent destruction of its rich literature. This paper aims to trace the
history of Yandoto town, its peopling, emergence as a centre of scholarship,
the ideological and philosophical thinking of Yandoto scholars, a study of some
of their selected works, and Yandoto's relations with Gusau, Tsafe, and
Kwatarkwashi. The paper adopted a qualitative historical methodology through
the use of primary and secondary sources, including oral interviews, archival
records, Arabic manuscripts, and scholarly literature.
Keywords: Yandoto, Zamfara, Katsina,
Islamic Scholarship, Hausaland
DOI: www.doi.org/10.57233/tjllc.2026.v05i03.007
author/Mas’ud Bello, Ph.D. & Sani Ibrahim
journal/Tasambo JLLC 5(3) | February 2026 |
