How Musa and Asabe Gwabin nurtured a CDS in the Sokoto caliphate

In the annals of a nation’s history, the spotlight rightly falls on those who have held its highest offices. Yet, to understand the true essence of a leader like General Christopher Gwabin Musa, one must journey back to the sacred soil from which he sprang. It was a soil fertilized by faith, service, and an unwavering commitment to God. His story is a profound testament to the legacy of two remarkable individuals: his parents, Musa Sukwai Gwabin and Asabe Mallam Sabanet, whose own lives were shaped by divine calling and clear destiny.

Musa Gwabin was born in Masukwai village in the then Zangon Kataf District on 13th May 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. Asabe Sabanet was born later, on 25th November 1945, in Samaru Atyap, also in Zangon Kataf District, two months after the war ended. Both were born during the reign of Emir Ja’afaru Dan Isyaku, the Emir of Zazzau, who reigned from 1937 to 1959. Their births also fell under the administration of the Chief Commissioners of the Northern Nigerian Provinces. Sirs Theodore Samuel Adams and John Robert Patterson, who served during this period from 1943 to 1947, exercised British suzerainty as direct representatives of the Crown. Sir Eric Westbury Thompstone took over from Patterson in 1947 and handed over to the famous and popular Sir Bryan Sharwood Smith on 1st October 1954.

This period was quite an interesting one, as the entire Atyap landscape was littered with the stories of courageous and legendary men like Marok Gandu, a gallant warrior who, during a fierce battle known as the ‘Battle of San-Tswuan’ (a place said to be a short distance east of Zangon Kataf) requested a puff of tobacco smoke from a pipe before he gave up. Marok Gandu was from the Jei sub-clan of the Agba’ad, and he was immortalized in a folksong of that era in Atyap land titled ‘Gugwa’, which was sung in his memory for many years after. His Royal Highness Bala Ade Dauke, in his autobiography ‘Zangon Kataf: A Journey of a People’, gave the wording of the song as: “Marok, wuya ba dadi”, which, translated from Hausa loosely means “Marok, torture is indeed unpleasant.” This song, the First Agwatyap further explained, often drew tears from the dancers and at times from the audience.

Another interesting story of that period surrounds the tax tensions of 1946. There was a meeting on the subject of tax payments which was held around Jankasa, with the District Head of Zangon Kataf, Katuka Suleiman, in attendance. During the meeting, a certain man named Tatong suddenly yelled from the crowd “No Tax Count!”. The crowd took up the chorus after him and scuppered the exercise. As the District Head moved to Magamiya, another young man referred to as Atar, similarly interrupted the process. With this development, the Emir Ja’afaru Dan Isiyaku, who was Katuka Suleiman’s brother, visited Zangon Kataf for a proper enquiry and an amicable resolution. When the Emir asked who disrupted the previous proceeding, Tatong came out and boldly announced that it was he. A Native Authority security official (Dan Doka) grabbed him, and then someone in the crowd screamed out, “Shall we just stand by and watch our own man being taken away?” Another man, one Gaba Jankasa, responded to the rallying cry, rushed at the security operative trying to overpower Tatong, and seized his stick. It took the Emir some time and effort to douse the tension, speaking to the crowd in Tyab language in which he was well versed, having served as their District Head before becoming Emir in 1937 as I earlier mentioned.

This was also a period that presented immense economic challenges for the provinces in the defunct Northern Nigerian Region. The British colonial administration imposed heavy taxes to support the war effort, demanding vast quantities of grain. As noted by Mallam Kazakh-Toure in “A Short History of the Atyap”, the requisition of about 1,000 tons of guinea corn had severe consequences. Women were forced to carry heavy loads on their heads to the nearest railway station in Zonkwa, with some suffering premature deliveries or miscarriages due to the tremendous physical strain.

It was against this challenging backdrop that the parents of both Musa and Asabe saw their children grow and then forge their own paths forward, from their immediate vicinity to faraway Zaria, and then on to Kano and finally Sokoto. The foundation of this extraordinary family was laid not in a home, but in a classroom. They both attended the iconic Sudan Interior Mission (S.I.M.) schools established by the legendary Scottish missionary, Reverend Thomas Archibald, in Samaru and Zonkwa respectively. Within those hallowed walls, they received far more than literacy; they were immersed in a discipline of devotion, taught to serve God and dedicate their lives to His vineyard. This early formation became the uncompromising bedrock upon which they would build their entire future.

Armed with this potent combination of education and faith, Musa Sukwai Gwabin embarked on his journey. In late 1957, after finishing at the SIM School in Samaru, he ventured from his village of Masukwai to Zaria, and subsequently to Kano as a Sales Representative for the Raleigh Bicycle Company. In a bold move that defied the trend of his peers migrating to major cities like Kaduna and Jos ahead of Independence, he instead moved to the historic city of Sokoto. This act of courage and enterprise saw a young man stepping out in faith, carrying the Christian principles instilled by Reverend Archibald into a new and different world.

While Musa was settling in Sokoto, Asabe Sabanet was completing her education at the same SIM School in Samaru Atyap, finishing in 1961. She looked to the future with uncertainty but absolute faith in God. From Sokoto, Musa, who had kept in touch with his homeland, had sighted Asabe and tasked parents and relations with facilitating their union. Destiny brought Musa Sukwai Gwabin and Asabe Mallam Sabanet together as husband and wife in a Christian wedding solemnized on 18th August 1962. Together, they returned to Sokoto—a union not just of two hearts, but of two spirits already committed to a life of service. Their home in the Caliphate became a beacon of their Christian faith, a testament to the unwavering conviction they carried from their S.I.M. schooling.

They did not just live their faith quietly; they lived it in vibrant service. Mama Asabe, popularly known as ‘Maman Sokoto’, became a formidable force of spiritual nurture as the esteemed leader of the Zumuntan Mata (Women’s Fellowship) of the Sokoto ECWA District Church Council (DCC). She had previously served as leader of the women fellowship at the Sokoto Local Church Board and Council from 1965 to 1998, before she stepped back to serve quietly as an advisor. Simultaneously, Baba Musa stood as a pillar of the congregation, serving as an Elder and Patron in the same 1st ECWA Bishara Church on Ahmadu Bello Way, Sokoto, in 1967. This was, in fact, the same year the couple’s third child, Christopher, was born on Christmas Day.

In a region where they were a religious minority, they did not hide their light; they let it shine brightly, tending to the vineyard of God with a courage that inspired all who knew them. It was in this crucible of faith and service that their children, including their son Christopher, were raised. There, they lived peacefully, enjoying the serenity and conducive environment the Sokoto Caliphate provided.

General Musa attended Marafa Danbaba Primary School and later Model Primary School, before he underwent vocational training in Gaummi, Sokoto, and then was enrolled into the Federal Government College, Sokoto. From there he went on to the College of Advanced Studies in Zaria. Afterwards, a significant turn of destiny took him to the Nigerian Defence Academy.

What many may not know is that the path to the summit was not without its trials for General Musa. His distinguished military career, though illustrious, was dotted with profound challenges which tested the very core of his spirit. He will capture these in his book at some point in the near future. There were seasons of uncertainty, professional hurdles, and the immense weight of command in a complex security landscape. Yet, through it all, he was guided by a deep faith and unshakeable trust in God. His moral compass, from what we have come to know, was the spirit of boundless patience and quiet strength instilled in him by his parents. More than a passive patience, it was an active, resilient endurance—the same patience his father must have learned building a life far from home, the same patience his mother embodied in nurturing a family and a congregation in a foreign land. This foundational virtue was his shield and anchor. He himself bore witness to this truth during his father’s funeral in 2021, publicly acknowledging godly virtue as the bedrock that steadied him through the storms of his life and career.

It was this very combination of faith, patience, and strategic acumen that produced his finest hour in service to the nation. The best of General Musa was showcased when he served as the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, the Nigerian military’s counter-terrorism and insurgency crack force. For about 19 critical months, he was the architect of the fight in the Northeast and beyond.

I recall a conversation with him in Maiduguri, where I outlined the difficulties of public service and security management from my experience in Kaduna. He encouraged me, insisting that I give my best and put my absolute faith in God. My deduction from his conduct and perspective — this famous ‘absolute faith in God’ stance and many other attributes — was that they were clearly the by-product of the deeply religious teachings and worldviews of contemporary Southern Kaduna parents. This is a legacy of missionaries like the Archibalds, and several others, who taught and instilled in those early converts what is famously known as ‘Tsoron Allah’, the fear of God.

Speaking of General Musa’s conduct in the Theater Command, and the climax of his career at the Defence Headquarters, one can say he was guided by the clarity of his vision. He operationalized intelligence-driven warfare, and embodied the philosophy which states that a precise strike is more potent than a volley of wasted shots. He gave the terrorists a hard fight on all fronts, outthinking and outmaneuvering them at every turn.

Beyond yielding territorial gains, his leadership broke the enemy’s will. His strategy, underpinned by his unshakeable resilience and characteristic patience, heralded a historic and massive surrender of terrorists, marking a pivotal turning point in a long and grueling conflict. I daresay this was still the legacy of his parents in action: the discipline from the S.I.M. schools, the strategic patience of a faithful elder, and the committed compassion of a women’s fellowship leader, all converging to bring not just victory, but a chance for peace.

On their parts, Baba Musa and Mama Asabe continued their dual service for decades. They wrote their names, as the saying goes, “on the gospel stone of Sokoto,” leaving an indelible mark of faithful witness. After a lifetime of labour and ministry, they decided in 2008 to return home to Kaduna State, their legacy secure. For they had not only served God faithfully, but had given Nigeria a son, Christopher Gwabin Musa, armed with the patience to endure and the faith to overcome.

The circle of life brings with it moments of great sorrow. The matriarch, Asabe, the revered Zumuntan Mata leader, passed on 29th March, 2018. The patriarch, Musa, the steadfast Elder, departed this world on 6th October, 2021. The generation that had sown so diligently had completed their earthly assignment.

In a move that speaks to the mysterious and poetic nature of destiny, their son, General Musa, was appointed as the 18th Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria on Monday, 19th June 2023. He had reached the summit, a pinnacle of service celebrated across the nation. The two faithful servants who had prayed him there, who had modeled a life of patience and dedicated service, were not physically present to see the fullness of their harvest. But the world indeed testified as it watched the child born on Christmas Day in 1967, take the stage.

This elation was vividly captured by the Samaru Atyap market women on Tuesday, 20th June, 2023. Arriving at the market in groups following the previous night’s appointment of General Musa as Chief of Defence Staff, they were heard celebrating and singing excitedly in memory of his mother, Asabe, who was from their community. They sang, “Allahn mu na sama, yana ji, yana gani,” meaning, “Our God in heaven hears and sees.”

General Musa has much to be grateful for. Nigerians across different divides have heartily lauded his successful tenure as Chief of Defence Staff of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. Of the 200 cadets admitted into the 38 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy, he is the only one who attained the rank of Four-Star General. Sadly, 34 of them passed away during cadet training, active service, and in retirement, and may their souls rest in peace.

Above the thunderous accolades, however, is the soft symphony of the divine mystery at play. His celebrated integrity is a reflection of his father’s eldership. His compassionate strength is an echo of his mother’s heart. And his legendary patience and tactical brilliance are the living, breathing legacy of the home they built in Sokoto and their absolute trust in God. The seeds of service and immeasurable patience they planted in his spirit blossomed into a grand and solemn duty of protecting a nation.

Therefore, when one salutes General Christopher Gwabin Musa, one is, in fact, paying tribute to the powerful legacy of Musa and Asabe Gwabin. They proved that the most powerful victories are not only won on the battlefield but are first forged in the quiet spaces of prayer, the steadfastness of faith, and the divine patience to endure all things. Their journey from the S.I.M. schools to the ECWA pulpits of Sokoto was the sacred prelude to their son’s journey to the very apex of national defence. And in that, their story, his story, and the story of a faithful God are forever and gloriously intertwined.

Aruwan is a postgraduate student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

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