Marok Gandu
Marok Gandu of Magata | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18?? |
| Died | 1902 Santswan forest, Atyapland |
| Cause of death | Execution by impalement |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupations | |
| Known for | Military commander of the Atyap anti-slave raiding forces |
Marok Gandu, also Marock Gandu and Marok Gandu of Magata (18?? - 1902) was a West African anti-slave raiding Atyap war leader who died in defense of his homeland.
Gandu was
"...the leading warrior and the most gallant military commander of the Atyap anti-slavery raiding forces..."
He was later captured by the Hausa forces led by the last independent king of Zazzau (Zaria), Muhammad Kwassau, during his 1902 raid on the Atyap which had been on since circa 1897. According to British claims, these raids caused the massacre of just over 1,000 Atyap people. These raids came to be known as Tyong Kwasa̱u in Tyap (meaning, "running away from Kwassau"). Gandu hailed from Magata, an important village of the Jei sub-clan of the Agbaat clan, which happens to be the leading military clan of the Atyap. His heroic acts as a legendary commander against external aggression in the history of his people's resistance was thought to have been almost totally neglected.