The Jukun-Muri Relations: Pre-Colonial Dynamics

This article examines the nature of inter-group relations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, with a focus on historical relations between the Jukun and the Muri Emirate. However, the Jukun kingdom played a significant role in the political history of central and northern Nigeria and had a lasting influence on many of its neighbours, including the Muri emirate. Using a historical approach, the study unearths the political and economic relations between the Jukun kingdom and the Muri emirate. It has been established that the relationship between the two pre-colonial states in the 19th century was marked by conflict and peaceful cooperation based on Dhimmi status. Specifically, the central concern of the study is to explore the political and economic relations of the Jukun and Muri emirates since 1817, when Hamman Ruwa established Muri.