Gwandu Emirate

The Emirate of Gwandu (Arabic: إمارة ﻏﻨﺪو), sometimes referred to as the Gwandu Caliphate or simply Gwandu, was one of the two political centers of the Sokoto Caliphate. Established in 1805 during the Sokoto jihad, it served as the administrative base for the caliphate's western and southern territories, while the eastern and northern domains were governed from Sokoto. This arrangement has led some scholars to describe the Caliphate as a 'dual empire'. Although the emirs of Gwandu were subordinate to the caliph, they were traditionally autonomous. The territory under Gwandu extended as far west as Dori (in present-day Burkina Faso) and south beyond Ilorin.

Throughout the 19th century, Gwandu was engaged in a series of protracted military conflicts with Kebbi and its successor state Argungu. Remembered as the Kebbi Wars, these conflict shaped much of its political and military history. Following the British conquest of the Sokoto Caliphate in 1903, Gwandu became part of the Sokoto Province under colonial indirect rule.

In independent Nigeria, the emirate lost its political sovereignty but has remained an important traditional authority. Today it is the largest emirate in Kebbi State, covering ten local government areas, including the state capital Birnin Kebbi. Its emir remains an important Muslim traditional leader in Nigeria, only behind the Sultan of Sokoto and the Shehu of Borno.