Date: September 10, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
A Fulani Islamic cleric has declared plans to revive what he described as the religious legacy of Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio, telling his followers that they would eventually become more assertive against practices they consider inconsistent with Islamic teachings in Nigeria.
The cleric made the remarks while addressing his followers in Hausa in a video seen by SaharaReporters. During the address, he repeatedly spoke about his intention to return to the teachings and traditions associated with Dan Fodio, an 18th- and early 19th-century Islamic scholar whose movement led to the establishment of the Sokoto Caliphate in what is now northern Nigeria.
The cleric said he was currently proceeding cautiously but warned that his followers would eventually begin making specific demands and taking a more active role in promoting what they believe to be proper Islamic practices.
He said his objective was to “revive” and “renew” the legacy of his ancestor, Usman Dan Fodio, describing the project as a return to the religious tradition associated with the influential scholar.
The cleric also invoked the teachings of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrani, saying that he and his followers had been gradually studying and paying attention to those teachings as part of their religious outlook.
The comments have attracted attention because of the historical significance of Dan Fodio's movement and the continuing political and religious sensitivity surrounding references to his legacy in contemporary Nigeria. Dan Fodio led a major Islamic reform movement that developed into a jihad beginning in 1804 and ultimately resulted in the creation of the Sokoto Caliphate, which became one of the most influential political and religious states in West Africa.
Historical accounts show that Dan Fodio's movement began partly as a campaign for religious reform. His preaching challenged what he considered corruption, unjust taxation, abuses of power and practices that departed from Islamic teachings. The movement eventually became a military conflict with the Hausa kingdom of Gobir and other states, leading to the expansion of the Sokoto Caliphate across large parts of present-day northern Nigeria and neighbouring areas.
It is the military and political dimension of that history that makes contemporary calls to “renew” Dan Fodio's legacy particularly sensitive. References to his jihad can carry very different meanings depending on whether they are being used to describe religious scholarship and reform or the political and military expansion associated with the historical movement.
In his address, the cleric appeared to frame his own plans primarily in religious terms, saying that he wanted to promote the teachings he believes should guide Muslim society. However, he also made statements suggesting that his followers would become more active in confronting places where they believe Islamic teachings are not being followed.
“In the future, I swear, we will not remain at the back while others move ahead,” he said, according to SaharaReporters. He went on to say that where teachings were not being followed, his followers would rise and teach those involved while making their position known to the wider world.
The cleric also repeatedly prayed for Allah to grant him martyrdom and encouraged his followers to respond by saying “Amin.” Those remarks, combined with his references to the historical legacy of Dan Fodio and his warning that followers would eventually become more assertive, have added to the attention surrounding the video.
The statements do not, by themselves, establish that the cleric or his followers are planning an armed uprising or violent campaign. The available report describes his declarations as a call for religious revival and increased assertiveness, although some of his language could be interpreted as confrontational. Any assessment of whether the group poses a specific security threat would require additional evidence about its organization, activities and intentions.
The historical background is nevertheless important. Usman Dan Fodio's movement transformed the political structure of much of northern Nigeria during the early 19th century. The Sokoto Caliphate survived until the British conquest in 1903, after which its political authority was substantially dismantled, although the institution of the Sultan of Sokoto continued to hold significant religious and cultural importance.
Modern Nigeria operates under a constitutional system in which religious authority and political power are formally separated from the kind of Islamic state established during Dan Fodio's era. Nigeria is also religiously and ethnically diverse, with Muslims and Christians living across the country and with significant differences in religious practice even within Muslim communities.
That diversity makes statements about replacing existing practices with a particular religious tradition potentially sensitive, particularly in areas where communal tensions and insecurity have already generated mistrust between different communities.
The cleric's comments also come at a time when Nigeria continues to face serious security challenges involving insurgent groups, armed bandits, communal violence and other forms of insecurity. Authorities have repeatedly faced accusations from different communities that they have failed to adequately protect civilians or respond to threats.
Against that background, any public declaration calling for followers to rise against practices viewed as un-Islamic is likely to receive close attention from security agencies, religious leaders and political authorities.
At the same time, it is important not to equate the broader Fulani population with the statements of one cleric. Fulani communities are diverse, and references to Fulani identity or to Dan Fodio's historical legacy do not automatically indicate support for violence or political domination. The historical Sokoto movement itself involved complex religious, political and social factors extending beyond ethnicity alone.
The cleric's invocation of Ibn Taymiyyah also reflects a broader Islamic intellectual tradition that has influenced reformist movements in different parts of the Muslim world. The mere study of Ibn Taymiyyah's writings does not establish support for violence, and the specific beliefs and intentions of the cleric and his followers would need to be assessed from their actions and broader statements.
What has drawn concern is the combination of the cleric's call to revive Dan Fodio's legacy, his references to future demands, his promise that followers would become more active where Islamic teachings were not being followed, and his repeated prayers for martyrdom.
For Nigeria's authorities, the challenge will be to monitor such rhetoric without unnecessarily inflaming religious or ethnic tensions. Any response would need to distinguish legitimate religious expression from concrete threats of violence or attempts to mobilize followers unlawfully.
The episode also illustrates how historical memory continues to influence contemporary Nigerian politics and religious debate. More than two centuries after Dan Fodio's movement began, his name remains a powerful symbol for different groups—some viewing him primarily as a scholar and reformer, while others emphasize the political and military transformation associated with his jihad.
The cleric's declaration therefore has significance beyond his individual religious message. If his followers begin organizing around specific political or religious demands, the movement could attract greater public and government scrutiny. If the statements remain confined to religious preaching, they may ultimately represent another expression of Nigeria's long-running debate over Islamic reform and religious identity.
For now, the cleric says he is moving gradually and that a time will come when he and his followers make specific demands. His remarks have placed renewed attention on the meaning of Dan Fodio's legacy in modern Nigeria and on how historical religious movements are invoked in a country still struggling to balance religious freedom, communal coexistence, constitutional governance and national security.