24/02/2025
A VISIT AND THOUGHTS ON SOME IMPORTANT AND HISTORIC SITES IN KAJJU
A memorable weekend with another visit of the historic, cultural and aboriginal settlement of the Bajju People. A view of the environment from the middle or top of hill presence a full and good view of the Zonkwa town (The capital of the Bajju Nation), a topography that could support having of a cable car (even not big as, but just like the one in Obudu cattle ranch) and flat land which could contain Charlets, rooms and halls for relaxation, accommodation/hotels and resorts.
Even couldn't have a good know and used of some of the artifacts and relics seen, but stones of the sharp of animals, Mill stones, water holes, stone walls with openings that looks like exit, stone foundations that held round huts, rendezvous for meetings and markets and entry points are all to adorned. A very stone sharp that looks like a donkey and others with shapes of horrible wild animals like lions and other fierce, terrible wilds could all be seen.
There is this one which exactly looks like a donkey, whom according to an account was said to be a warrior who during the jihad around 1904 to 1909 came out to face the jihadist with his sword on top of the donkey; turned a stone (Even though most part of the donkey shaped stone is been washed by agent of denudation like water, win and sun), as the man and the arrow already washed, but the donkey shape is still there.
I have visited the site so many times, but one site that have most times been a lost to me is Baranzan grave (tomb). Baranzan is the founder and the father of the Bajju Nation and the aboriginal inhabitant of the site. A little miss of the path leading to Baranzan grave will take you to another part of the forest, you either see yourself around Azansak (Madauchi) or Tabak. During my last visit, we wondered around the grave without seeing it until God helped us meet an old man gathering wood who said "Yi brak K**a yiinka,dibyi ti shyii kayami-Turn your back, there is the grave", that we adhered and just before us was the grave.
Now, how did the site view started? We started climbing the mountain from the bottom hill looking Dauke's compound in Ungwan Dauke, up to the middle and down the cattle path (Valley) leading to Nhwok, further climbed the other side of the Southern part of the hill (from our side of climb) and came through the kayit dibyi (Kurmin B forest) to the Baranzan grave.
Kajju is endowed with so much untapped and untainted Tourism site mostly historical and culture, there are so many sites which am yet to visit in aboriginal settlement of the Bajju people (From the hill to the forest around Zonkwa), like a place they said was used as an hide out or shield anytime the jihadist come to attack. The settlements were mostly on top of the hill substantiating the reason why the Kajju land was never conquered by the Jihadist since the Jihadist horses could not climb the hills.
We have history, even though different contradicting oral or written traditions, there is need for a comprehensive and acceptable history of the Bajju people covering all spheres of life, else the future will have nothing for Kajju.
—Fidelis Neyu Williams