The Biography Of Late Mallam Sa'adu Zungur

The history of Sa’adu Zungur is indeed one of complete fascination and absolute motivation as it depicts the versatility of Sa’adu Zungur, showing what an ingenious polymath, he was. Challenging whoever and whatever was evidently wrong, this man stood up against British colonial rule when it was an almost impossible task to do, challenged and debated intelligently with internal and external oppressors.

Who is Sa’adu Zungur ?

This brief history of Sa’adu Zungur would flummox and leave you with the question of how the story of such an individual is almost completely unknown.

Early Life

Born Ahmed Mahmud Sa’ad (popularly Sa’adu) Zungur on a Tuesday 24th of November 1914 in Ganjuwa ward of Bauchi metropolis. He was born to the family of Muhammad Bello, the son of Ahmad who was the leader of the Zungur Kogi Community. His mother, Fatima, was the daughter of the servant to the Chief of Jaku, she was Sa’adu’s father’s third wife.

Sa’adu Zungur’s paternal great grandfather, Idris was a Scholar-Jihadist who is said to have studied directly under Dan Fodio himself, who under the then Emir of Bauchi, had gone to collect the flag of authority to carry out Jihad in Bauchi.

Sa’adu was brought up in the scholarly tradition of his family, being a polyglot who spoke multiple languages including; Hausa, Fulfulde, Arabic and much later in his life, English. Sa’adu was of a slim build with a somewhat longish chin and thick lips. From his mother, he had two sisters; Aisha (Nana) and Hassana (Aji), and being the only son of his mother.

He had three brothers; Mahmud, Hamidu, and Aminu and three sisters; Aisha, Hafsatu and Hadiza from his father’s other wives. His father had a total of nine children. He grew up with his elder sister, Aisha (Nana) who was fourteen years older than he, she was married to a disciple of her father’s.