Mayanka Falls: Suleja’s Waterfall of Historic Execution

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By tropicaltaadi

Mayanka, meaning ‘place of execution’ is located about 2 km southwest of the town of Suleja, is known to very few people. While the falls have been in existence for over 200 years, when they learn of the Mayanka word, people exude fear because of what it was before it became a tourist center. It was once a venue for offenders to receive retribution. You will have to go through shrubs and rock-laced terrain in order to walk up the slope. Mayanka falls has the potential to be a place where power can be produced at a level of mini hydroelectricity generation.

The Mayanka Falls is a stone’s throw away from Sarkin Zazzau (Suleja) Palace. It is a place full of so much history spanning two hundred years. When you’re in Suleja, it’s also a good place to have fun.

The most frequent visitors at the falls include hikers, lovers of nature, fun lovers, explorers, and scientists. The experience of a non-definite route up the hill is an experience that will undoubtedly stick in my mind for a very long time. A must-see is the elegance of the falls.

Some stuff to go along with before going to Mayanka Falls include; hiking boots, a water bottle, sun shades, and a face cap.

History

In its awful silence, and its notorious two centuries of history, the surrounding Mayanka was still enclosed. Mayanka in the Hausa language means slaughterhouse or any slaughtering place, typically used to carry out executions.

Suleja’s Mayanka was found in the Iku river falls where the criminals who had been condemned to death by the traditional domain authorities in the pre-colonial era had been slaughtered (executed).

Every Nigerian culture as part of its comprehensive administrative structure had its own system of administration in terms of what is considered as civil and criminal offenses, from time immemorial to the advent of colonialism, according to traditional standards and values.

Shehu Uthman Danfodio-led jihadists from the 19th century sacked the Zage-zagi from their ancestral domain (headquartered in Zaria) from where they moved south to the present location to establish another Zazzau domain.

Therefore, according to the source, any Fulani man or woman sighted in the domain in those days would be treated as a jihadist spy and would therefore be arrested and hauled as a criminal before the Sarkin Zazzau royal court, to be summarily sentenced to death by the Mayanka sword of the Hauni.

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