The early twentieth century was a period of major transformation in Northern Nigeria. After the British conquest of the Sokoto Caliphate and the establishment of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria, a new administrative order took shape. Kaduna, founded in 1913, became the planned capital of the Northern Provinces, a hub for colonial administration, rail transport, and military operations.
To maintain order and enforce new systems of governance, the British created structures of indirect rule that depended on the cooperation of African intermediaries. Among the Africans who served within these evolving institutions was Mallam Bako, a man from Argungu in present-day Kebbi State, remembered as one of the early Northern Nigerian officers in the colonial police and later as a respected district head in Kaduna.
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Early Life and Colonial Service
Argungu, a prominent emirate in north-western Nigeria, was known for its strong Islamic scholarship and social discipline. From this environment came Mallam Bako, whose early life remains only partially documented. Oral traditions and family records describe him as literate, disciplined, and devoted to public service, qualities that made him suitable for employment within the emerging colonial system.
According to reliable biographical accounts of his son, Alhaji Audu Bako (1924–1980), Mallam Bako served for about 36 years in the colonial police before being appointed District Head of Sabon Gari, Kaduna.
Although his exact rank and service record are not preserved in surviving personnel files, his long tenure indicates that he belonged to the small group of early African officers who gained the confidence of both their colonial superiors and local communities during a time of institutional transition.
Colonial Policing and African Officers
Policing under British rule was central to the operation of indirect rule in Northern Nigeria. The system depended on Native Authorities (emirs, district heads, and local council officials) to maintain law and order within their jurisdictions. To support this, the Native Authority Police operated under the general oversight of the central colonial police but were largely staffed by Africans.
Men like Mallam Bako occupied an important middle ground. They worked under British supervision while serving within their communities, enforcing regulations, collecting taxes, and maintaining peace in growing urban centres such as Kaduna, Zaria, and Kano.
Though rarely mentioned in official records, these African officers provided the practical foundation upon which colonial administration rested. Their service shaped early models of discipline, accountability, and bureaucratic order that survived into Nigeria’s post-independence era.
Education, Character, and Public Reputation
Little documentary evidence survives about Mallam Bako’s formal education, yet both oral testimonies and family recollections portray him as a principled man of integrity. His literacy, religious discipline, and moral conduct reportedly earned him respect within the police and among the people he later governed as district head.
Accounts passed down through local memory suggest that he valued honesty, restraint, and mentorship, qualities that reflected the best traditions of African service within colonial institutions. Even without formal recognition, such officers helped to cultivate professionalism within the Native Authority system, forming a bridge between traditional governance and modern administration.
Family and Legacy
The influence of Mallam Bako is most clearly seen in the public life of his son, Audu Bako, who was born in 1924 at the Kaduna Police Barracks during his father’s service years. Following his father’s example, Audu joined the Nigeria Police Force in the 1940s before transferring to administrative service.
He rose to national prominence when he became the first Military Governor of Kano State (1967–1975). His administration introduced pioneering reforms in education, agriculture, infrastructure, and women’s development, earning him a place among Northern Nigeria’s most respected post-colonial leaders.
Historians often note the continuity between father and son: both men embodied discipline, civic duty, and moral restraint. The values that guided Mallam Bako in the colonial police seemingly influenced the leadership style of Governor Audu Bako, demonstrating an intergenerational transmission of administrative ethos from colonial to post-colonial Nigeria.
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Significance in Historical Context
Mallam Bako’s life reflects the complex role of Africans in colonial governance. While serving within institutions designed to uphold British control, African officers like him exercised significant agency. They maintained stability, mediated disputes, and helped build the bureaucratic traditions that later supported independent governance.
His story also highlights an often-overlooked dimension of Nigerian colonial history: the contributions of African policemen and administrators who provided continuity between the colonial and post-colonial states. Their professionalism, however constrained by the colonial system, introduced values of order, service, and responsibility that endured long after the British departed.
Though much about Mallam Bako remains undocumented, the verified facts, his origin from Argungu, his long police service, his appointment as District Head of Sabon Gari, and his connection to Governor Audu Bako, confirm his role as part of the first generation of African civil servants in Northern Nigeria.
Author’s Note
Bako’s story embodies the emergence of African leadership within colonial administration: men who worked within imposed systems but upheld values that would shape Nigeria’s modern state. Through his service and his family’s continuing public contribution, Mallam Bako stands as a symbol of the quiet, disciplined professionalism that bridged empire and nationhood in twentieth-century Northern Nigeria.
References:
Adamu, A. U. (2008). Chieftaincy and Security in Nigeria. Kano: Adamu Press.
History of the Nigeria Police. Nigeria Police Force (Official Website). Accessed October 2025.
Nairametrics (2013). Chieftaincy in Nigeria: Historical and Institutional Overview. Lagos: Nairametrics Publications.
