OPPOSITION TO EUROPEAN OCCUPATION
African attitude towards European Occupation of their territories was mixed. While some chiefs and their people resisted the occupation of their Land others welcomed the arrival of the white man on their territory. In the northern territories of the Gold Coast, the greatest resistance to European Occupation came from the Dagbamba. Indeed from the very beginning when Europeans made their first appearance in Dabgang, Naaa Andani 2nd who was the reigning King of Dadgon, made it clear to the European envoys and their agents that, the Dagbamba did not need the protection of any European power. This was rightly so because at the time Europeans came to Dagbon the Yaa-Naa was the king of all he surveyed". Dagbamba hegemony in the area was undisputed. The Dagbamba were not prepared to be tied to the apron strings of any European power. For that reason, when the first British envoy, George Eken Ferguson, went to Yendi in August, 1892, the Yaa-Naa was unwilling to allow only the British trading rights in his kingdom. The trade and commerce of Dagbon, did not exist for the sole enjoyment of any European power. The English or Germans or France could trade in Dagbong state. The Germans were also aware of Dagbamba opposition to not only European occupation of their land, but indeed to any European demand for exclusive trading rights in Dagbong. According to one E.W Bruece formerly in the employment of the German Government, in February 1896 he went to Yendi with Von Carp who took valuable presents worth about E600 and the German flag to Naa-Andani Il. The king is said to have accepted the gifts but rejected the German flag.
After his rejection of both British and Germen flags, the king insisted that European envoys could pass through his kingdom only by his permission. In May, 1896 Dr. Henry Grunner tried to enter Yendi under the pretex of passing through to Sansanne-Mango, but Naa Andani refused to allow him. Pass through his territory.
This attitude of the king did not go down well with Germany. The Germans were determined either to compel the Dagbamba to accept the German flag, or for Germans to pass through Dagbong without seeking the Permission of the king. It was towards the achievement of this objectives that, Germany dispatched a powerful mission on 23 rd November, 1896, under the leadership of Dr. Henry D. Grunner from Ketee-Krachi through Bimbilla to Dagbon, and because the Germans were determined to clear all obstacles on their way to Yendi, the Dagbama capital and a major centre for trade on the Haussa, Sansanne-Mango-Yendi-Kete Krachi route when they got to Bimbilla on 30th November, 1896, they opened fire on the inhabitants in other to get passage. Bimbilla was burnt down and the Germans hurried towards Yendi.
THE BATTLE OF ADIBO
Adibo is a Dagbamba village situated about 15 kilometres on the Yendi-Bimbilla road. After the Germans had burnt down Bimbilla, the capital town of the Nanumba people, the Yaa-Naa was fortunate have received a runner sent to him by the Bimbilla Na about two days before the Germans got to Adibo.
The Yaa-Naa quickly organized a small fighting force under the leadership of the war chief Kambonnakpema Ziblim. Due to the limited time available to the Dagbamba, the small fighting force came from only villages close to Yendi. The Dagbamba troop numbers are uncertain. Cornevin puts the Dagbamba troops number at 7, 000.
This is rather too high in view of the limited time at the disposal of the Dagbamba. No militia came from Westerm Dagbon which had the largest number of the militia of Dagbon. Others put the number between 4, 000 and 5,000. On the German side, they were Dr. Grunner, the leader of the mission. Lt. Von Massaw, the military commander, Lt. Thierry and sergeant Heitman accompanying these 4 Germans were 91 trained mercenaries, 46 carries (armed with modern rifles) and 231 other carriers. On 4th December, 1896 the Dagbamba militia and the German mission clashed at Adibo where the Dagbamab lay in wait to meet the Germans forces.
The Dabamba were defeated. The war leader, Kamsonnakpema Ziblim and about 430 Dagbamba fighters were killed. Although the Dagbanba were ill-equipped with only Dane guns and bow and arrows, they were able to kill one German (Sergeant Hetman) and a quarter of the mercenary force. What was more, the Germans did not achieve the purpose of their mission.
When they reached Yendi they found the whole town deserted. Fearing that, the Dabamba had moved out to prepare an attack; the Germans set Yendi ablaze and camped at Sakpiegu a small village north of Yendi. On the next day they left for SansanneMango. In the meantime the Dabgamba got ready a force of 16, 000 to fight the Germans on their return journey. The Germans, however, decided during their return journey to kete-Krachi not to engage the Dagbamba in a fight. They avoided Yendi and moved in a circuitous manner to kete-Krachi.
The Germans occupied Yendi permanently only after the death of Naa-Andani the Il in 1900 and ruled for 14 years (1900-1914). You can visits Yendi and Adibo to see the tomb of Naa-Andani the Il, grave of Kanbonnakpema Ziblim, war commander of Dagbamba force, graves of the fallen heroes both the Dagbamba and Germans, you can also see 1896 bullet stacked in a piece of rock at the grave site of Kanbonnakpema the war commander.
Distance from Tamale to Adibo is 107km.
THE WAR OF WESTERN DAGBONG
Western Dagbong did not witness the kind of great interest Germany showed in Eastern Dagbong, until that part of the Dagbong state fell to Great Britain under the Anglo-German convention of November, 1890. After great Britain and Germany shared between them the territory of the Yaa-Naa, major Moris, the commander of the northern territories sent envoys to deliver letters to the chiefs Karaga, Kpantinga, Pigu, and Savelugu to informed them that they were by the partition agreement under "British Protection and assuring them of our friendship. All the chiefs refused the letters and told the envoys that "they did not wish for either their friendship or their protection".
Not unexpectedly the concerted rebuff by the Dagbamba chiefs of Western Dagbang was looked upon by major Moris as a challenge of British authority. He therefore decided to use force to established British authority. He therefore decided to use force to establish British rule in Dagbang on 5 th February, 1900 in a letter to the Gold Coast Council Secretary, Major Moris wrote "I intend to advance against them on the instant with the strongest force I can get together, about 230 fighting men of all ranks. There will never be peace in this country until Dagbamba have been thoroughly defeated and a strong post established in their very midst, so that, they may be able to know that, the presence of the white man is a living reality.
When the Dagbamba chiefs turned away the British envoys "friendship and protection" they were not unaware of what the consequences might be. In full appreciation of the probable consequences of their action, the chiefs gathered a force to resist any attempt by the British to occupy their land by force of arms. Gambaga being the seat of the British Commandant in the newly acquired British territory, the chiefs realized that, Karanga was the most strategic town. Military contingents from Kpatenga, Pigu, Sung, Pishegu and Savelugu were sent to Karaga in readiness for war with the British. When the Dagbamba, Scouting Units sighted the movement of British troops, the Dagbamba advanced towards Gambaga. They finally took up a position a few miles from a stream, which is the boundary between Dagbon and Mamprugu. The inevitable followed, a fierce battle began. After two days of fighting, the British forces withdrew allegedly to meet some ruminants of Babatu's forces, who were getting ready to attack Gambaga. In an apparent reference to the brief battle the British had with the Dagbamba, colonel H.P. Northcot the chief commissioner of the Northern territories wrote; "The Dagbamba have been taught that, they cannot defy the English in this country with impunity. The Dagbamba are brave and war like race, but the practical hand of Babatu and his lieutenants was evident in the smart manner in which recognnousance work was carried out. Hard it not been for the poor weapons and execrable shooting of the Dagbamba, we should have suffered severely before dislodging them.
Even though colonel Northcot attributed the magnificent resistance of the Dagbamaba to the hidden hands of Babatu and his lieutenants is highly impossible that, they were involved in the Dagbamba encounter with the British forces in February, 1900. It is known in the Dagbamba historical accounts that, when both the British and the French wanted to arrest Babatu, after their partition of the hinterland, Babatu sought refuge with "Bukari king of Pigu" and when Bukari refused to surrender Babatu to the British, he dispatched Babatu to Naa Andani Il his father in 1898 leaving a few of Babatu's lieutenants with him at Pigu. In mid-August, 1899 Naa Andani Il died. Bukari king of Pigu who was Naa Andani's second son, left for Yendi with the rest of Babatus fighting force who deserted him after the twilight of his power, joined the Gold coast constabulary on the inducement of the colonial government.
It is however true that, Babatu and his loyal lieutenants fought the British when the latter attempted to arrest him at Pigu. After his protector Bukari refuse to surrender him to the British on their demand and this was only in 1898. On that occupation Pigu was burnt down, when the British failed to capture Babatu or any of his lieutenants. It was after this abortive attempt to capture him that, Bukari dispatched his protégé to Yendi. At the time major Moris moved his "strongest force of about 230 fighting men of all ranks" to fight the Dagbamba, neither Bukari King of Pigu, nor Babatu, nor his lieutenants were involved in the fighting, as they were all in Yendi then.