Northern Nigeria in the context of "Nigeria"

The following is a list of the 100 largest cities in Africa by urban population using the most recent official estimate. This reflects only cities located geographically in Africa including related islands.

People in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community in Nigeria face severe challenges. Both male and female expressions of homosexuality are illegal in Nigeria and punishable by death in the northern portion of the country and up to 14 years of imprisonment in the southern portion of the country. There are no legal protections for LGBTQ people in Nigeria—a largely conservative country of more than 230 million people, split between a mainly Muslim north and a mainly Christian south. Very few LGBTQ people are open about their sexuality, as violence against them is frequent. According to PinkNews, Nigerian authorities generally target the LGBTQ community. Many LGBTQ Nigerians seek asylum in countries with progressive laws.

Attempted same-sex marriages have also been criminalised within Nigeria since 2013. The maximum punishment in 12 northern states with Shari'a law is death by stoning. The law applies to all Muslims and those who have voluntarily consented to the jurisdiction of the Shari'a courts. However, in southern Nigeria and under the secular criminal laws of northern Nigeria, the maximum punishment for same-sex sexual activity is 14 years of imprisonment, which is less severe. In 2022, a group of Nigerian human rights organizations and activists filed a lawsuit arguing that Sections 4(1), 5(2), and 5(3) of the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of 2014 violated provisions of the Nigerian Constitution. That same year, the court ruled that these sections were unconstitutional and could not be enforced in any part of the country, effectively allowing LGBTQ+ organizations and individuals to exist and organize freely.

The Kano Emirate Council is a traditional state in Northern Nigeria with headquarters in the city of Kano, the capital of the modern Kano State. Preceded by the Emirate of Kano, the council was formed in 1903 after the British pacification of the Sokoto Caliphate. The borders of the Emirate are contiguous with Kano State.

Ado Bayero became the emir in 1963, reigning for 50 years until his death in 2014; he oversaw the transformation of the Emirate under Nigeria's federal constitution that subjects Northern Nigeria's Emirates to political leaders. The emir of Kano serves as the leader of the Tijaniyya sufi order in Nigeria, historically the second most important Muslim position in Nigeria after the Sultan of Sokoto who is the leader of the more populous Qadiriyya sufi order in Nigeria.

Arewa or Arewaland is a Hausa word which means "The North". The term is used to refer to Northern Nigeria general. The terms Arewa (literally "north") and Arewacin Nijeriya (literally "Northern Nigeria") are used in Hausa to refer to the historic region geopolitically located north of the River Niger.

In the history of Nigeria specifically, it is used to refer to the pre-1967 Northern Region, Nigeria. In Niger, it has a very specific meaning: a small pre-colonial animist dominated state of the Dallol Maouri valley, known for the indigenous "Maouri"/"Mawri" Hausa culture. In Nigeria, some towns have been called simply "Arewa" in the past, before British colonisation.

The Tijjani order (Arabic: الطريقة التجانية, romanized: al-Ṭarīqa al-Tijāniyya) is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam named after Ahmad al-Tijani. It originated in Algeria but now more widespread in Maghreb, West Africa, particularly in Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Niger, Chad, Ghana, Northern and Southwestern Nigeria and some parts of Sudan. The Tijāniyyah order is also present in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in India. Its adherents are called Tijānī (spelled Tijaan or Tiijaan in Wolof, Tidiane or Tidjane in French). Tijānīs place great importance on culture and education and emphasize the individual adhesion of the disciple (murid). To become a member of the order, one must receive the Tijānī wird, or a sequence of holy phrases to be repeated twice daily, from a muqaddam, or representative of the order.

Boko Haram, officially known as Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da'wa wa al-Jihad (JAS, Arabic: جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, romanised: Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, lit. 'Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad') and sometimes referred to as its state name Daular Musulunci, is a self-proclaimed jihadist militant group based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. In 2016, the group split, resulting in the emergence of a hostile faction known as the Islamic State's West Africa Province.

Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, the group was led by Abubakar Shekau from 2009 until his death in 2021, although it splintered into other groups after Yusuf's death in 2009, as well as in 2015. When the group was first formed, their main goal was to "purify", the Sunni Islam in northern Nigeria, believing jihad should be delayed until the group was strong enough to overthrow the Nigerian government. The group formerly aligned itself with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The group has been known for its brutality, and since the insurgency started in 2009, Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of people, in frequent attacks against the police, armed forces and civilians. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 300,000 children and has displaced 2.3 million from their homes. Boko Haram has contributed to regional food crises and famines.

The Law of Nigeria consists of courts, offences, and various types of laws. Nigeria has its own constitution which was established on 29 May 1999. The Constitution of Nigeria is the supreme law of the country. There are four distinct legal systems in Nigeria, which include English law, Common law, Customary law, and Sharia Law. English law in Nigeria is derived from the colonial Nigeria, while common law is a development from its post-colonial independence.

Customary law is derived from indigenous traditional norms and cultural practices, including the dispute resolution meetings of pre-colonial Yoruba land secret societies and the Èkpè and Okónkò of Igboland and Ibibioland. Sharia Law (also known as Islamic Law) used to be used only in Northern Nigeria, where Islam is the predominant religion. It is also being used in Lagos State, Oyo State, Kwara State, Ogun State, and Osun State by Muslims. The country has a judicial branch, the highest court of which is the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Morocco leather (also known as Levant, the French Maroquin, Turkey, or German Saffian from Safi, a Moroccan town famous for leather) is a vegetable-tanned leather known for its softness, pliability, and ability to take color. It has been widely used in the manufacture of gloves and the uppers of ladies' shoes and men's low cut shoes, but is commonly associated with wallets, linings for fine luggage, and bookbindings.

Despite its name, Morocco was typically not the original source of the leather. Some of the highest quality Morocco leather, usually goat skin, used in book binding was sourced from Northern Nigeria (particularly from the Hausa city-states of Kano, Katsina, and Zazzau) and Anatolia (modern day Turkey). First known production of morocco leather is attributed to pre-11th century Moors, in which alum tanned morocco leather was stained pink.

The Battle of Kano was an important military engagement fought between the British Empire and the Sokoto Caliphate and their vassal state, the Kano Emirate. The battle took place in what is now Northern Nigeria.