Retired General Marcus Yake Emerges First Gung-Za’ar of New Za’ar Chiefdom Amid Bauchi Court Contempt Claims

A former Army officer, Brigadier-General Marcus Kokko Yake (rtd), has been elected as the first official Gung-Za’ar (traditional ruler) of the newly established Za’ar Chiefdom in Bauchi State. His emergence follows a formal election process guided by the provisions of the Za’ar Chiefdom Law 2025.

The election took place after the Bauchi State Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs invited applications for the traditional stool. According to a statement issued by the ministry’s Information Officer, Khadija Danladi Hassan Kobi, seven candidates initially applied, were screened, and cleared for the contest. The Electoral College, which was constituted according to law, saw four candidates contest after three withdrew before the election.

Dependable NG reports that the establishment of the Za’ar Chiefdom, particularly the decision to designate its headquarters in Mhrim, Tafawa Balewa local government area, has ignited significant controversy. The Bauchi State Muslim Parliament (Majlisshura Unity Foundation) has accused the State government and the Bauchi State House of Assembly of being in contempt of court over the creation.

In a statement signed by its chairman, Sheikh Yusuf Abdullahi Jahun, the foundation argued that the government’s action violates an ongoing court case challenging the decision and deliberately ignores previous recommendations made by several fact-finding committees. The Majlisshura stated that the Muslim community is not against the creation of a Sayawa Chiefdom itself, but that their primary objection is the siting of the headquarters in Tafawa Balewa. The foundation claimed this is a “grave injustice” against the state’s Muslim population, alleging that Mhrim is a ward in Tafawa Balewa town which, by historical accounts, belonged to the Fulani tribe.

The foundation further alleged that opposition is rooted in past violence, claiming that between 1991 and 2011, over 500 Muslims were killed in Tafawa Balewa and surrounding areas, resulting in the destruction of 48 mosques and the displacement of the entire Muslim population, who now reside as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) elsewhere. The group also noted that none of the five judicial and administrative committees previously set up to address the Tafawa Balewa crisis, including the Babalakin (1991), Justice Bala Umar (2001), and Ambassador Dada Chinade (2022) panels, had ever recommended placing the Sayawa Chiefdom headquarters in Tafawa Balewa. Governor Bala Mohammed recently signed the bill, which established 13 new emirates and created over 100 districts across the state, including the repeal of the old Sayawa Chiefdom and the enactment of the new Za’ar Chiefdom with Mhrim as its new headquarters.