Rising about 15 metres (50 feet) above the old city of Katsina in northern Nigeria, the Gobarau Minaret is more than an architectural landmark. For over five centuries it has stood as a symbol of Islamic learning, religious devotion and the enduring cultural heritage of Hausaland.
Origins and Historical Context
The exact date of the Gobarau Minaret’s construction remains a subject of debate. Oral traditions and some local chronicles associate it with the reign of Sarkin Katsina Muhammad Korau (c. 1493–1520), the first Muslim ruler of Katsina. Others place its completion in the early 16th century. Whatever the precise year, the minaret arose when Katsina was one of the great intellectual and commercial centres of the Sahel, trading with Timbuktu and attracting Islamic scholars from across West Africa.
Built initially as the central Friday mosque of Katsina, the structure reflected the city’s wealth and the growing prestige of Islam in the region. Its height made it one of the earliest surviving multi-storey buildings in West Africa, a feat that proclaimed both religious piety and political authority.
From Mosque to Madrasah
As the city expanded and newer mosques were erected, the original building gradually shifted from being the principal congregational mosque to functioning as a madrasah (Islamic school). Generations of scholars used its chambers for teaching Qurʾānic exegesis, jurisprudence and classical Arabic studies.
While the modern Katsina School of Arabic and Islamic Studies dates from the 20th century, the Gobarau Minaret is widely regarded as a spiritual ancestor of that tradition. Its centuries-long role as a centre of advanced Islamic learning helped secure Katsina’s reputation as a “city of scholars”, rivalled only by Timbuktu in the medieval western Sudan.
The minaret is built entirely of sun-dried mud bricks, using the Sudano-Sahelian style common across the savannah belt. A rectangular base tapers upward to a commanding tower, its thick earthen walls reinforced by wooden beams (toron) that also serve as permanent scaffolding for repairs.
Small slit windows admit light and air, while the massive mud walls provide natural insulation against the intense Sahelian heat. More than five centuries after its construction, the Gobarau Minaret remains structurally sound—an enduring testament to the engineering skill of Hausa builders and the adaptability of indigenous West African materials.
Cultural and Spiritual Legacy
For the people of Katsina, the minaret is more than a relic of the past; it is a living emblem of faith and scholarship. Local leaders and cultural organisations regard it as a touchstone of identity, linking today’s city to a golden age when Katsina’s scholars shaped Islamic thought across the region.
The Nigerian government, through the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), has designated the Gobarau Minaret a national monument. Yet like many earthen structures of the Sahel, it faces erosion and environmental stress, prompting ongoing calls for conservation to ensure that future generations can witness this unique heritage.
Significance in West African History
The Gobarau Minaret stands as a vivid example of pre-colonial Islamic architecture south of the Sahara. It shows how local Hausa building traditions blended seamlessly with Islamic design, creating a style that is both distinctively West African and part of a broader Muslim world.
Today, visitors who climb its base or simply stand in its shadow experience a tangible link to the centuries when Katsina rivalled Timbuktu as a beacon of Islamic scholarship, trade and diplomacy.
Sources
National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Heritage Documentation on Gobarau Minaret, Abuja.
The Gobarau Minaret endures not only as a striking mud-brick tower but also as a powerful reminder of the intellectual and spiritual vibrancy that defined medieval Hausaland and helped shape the Islamic heritage of West Africa.
Nollywood actress Destiny Etiko has revealed that she lost ₦5 million after placing a bet during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, saying the experience has discouraged her from gambling again.
The actress disclosed this in a post shared on her Instagram handle on Monday, shortly after the conclusion of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
“First time betting and I lost . Will never try it again. My 5M gone . In fact am done watching football. Anxiety almost killed me,” she wrote.
Etiko, however, did not disclose the particular bet she placed or provide further details about how she lost the money.
Earlier, during the World Cup final, the actress shared a series of updates on her Instagram Story, indicating she was backing Argentina to defeat Spain.
In one post, she wrote, “Argentina all the way. Who can’t wait?”
As the match progressed, she appeared increasingly frustrated with Argentina’s performance, posting, “This ball tough o. Argentina is pissing me off.”
She also praised Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez for keeping the defending champions in the game, writing, “The goal keeper is the savior oo.”
PUNCH Online had reported that Spain defeated defending champions Argentina 1-0 after extra time to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday.
Substitute Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal in the second period of extra time to hand Spain their second World Cup title, 16 years after their maiden triumph in South Africa in 2010.
Argentina played the closing stages with 10 men after midfielder Enzo Fernández was sent off for a second bookable offence, while Spain dominated possession before eventually finding the breakthrough through Torres.
The self-styled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, was arrested last Tuesday by the Intelligence Response Team led by Chief Superintendent of Police, Moses Lohor.
It was learnt that Adeyemi was arrested between 11am and 12pm inside a building in the Ijebu-Ijesa area of Osun State.
The suspect’s arrest followed a bench warrant issued against him by a Federal High Court in Abuja after he allegedly failed to appear for arraignment on eight counts.
Giving details of the operation that led to the arrest, a senior police officer in the Osun State Police Command, in an interview with Punch, said Adeyemi’s location was first uncovered in the Aregbe-Fakule area of Osogbo on July 9 after evading tracking by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The police officer said Lohor’s team took over the tracking after the DSS withdrew from the case.
He added that the operatives eventually located Adeyemi in Ilesa and subsequently arrested him on Tuesday morning.
The source said, “The Moses Lohor team were in Osun for surveillance ahead of the August 15 governorship election. They were mapping hotspots and collating other intelligence. As a matter of fact, the Lohor team didn’t report to the Osun State Police Command. They operated from the area commander’s office at Oke-Fia in Osogbo.
“Adeyemi was already on their watch list, but they didn’t act because the case was being handled by the DSS. Adeyemi’s last known location tracked by the DSS was Ibadan, but they couldn’t apprehend him because he regularly switched off his phone.
“A senior police officer from Abuja informed the Lohor team about the DSS withdrawal on Wednesday. Lohor’s team then decided to track Adeyemi’s location on Thursday, July 9. Incidentally, he was located around the Aregbe-Fakule area of Osogbo.
“Luckily for them, late on Monday night, Adeyemi’s location showed he was around Ilesa, and the Lohor team intensified efforts, which led to his arrest on Tuesday morning. The team only informed the Osun State Commissioner of Police when they moved in to make the arrest.”
Adeyemi is reportedly being detained at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, from where he is expected to be arraigned on July 27.
Popular Nollywood actress in the Yoruba movie industry, Biola Fowosere, has opened up about the challenges she faced after her ex-husband left their marriage.
It was reports that Biola, during an interview on African A List, said her ex-husband abandoned her and their children despite not doing anything wrong in the union.
The thespian who broke down in tears during the interview said her ex-husband is the only person she would like to ask why he abandoned his family.
Biola also spoke about battling severe depression after the separation, spending one year and six months in the hospital while struggling to recover emotionally.
According to the movie star, she almost lost her sanity, adding that it has been seven years since they lost contact.
She said, “The only person I’d really want to ask a question is my ex-husband. I’d really like to ask him what I did wrong because I did nothing before he left me and the kids. I want to ask what my children and I did to deserve what he did to us,” she said.
“I spent one year and six months in the hospital battling depression after he left. I almost ran mad. We are not in contact. Since he left, we haven’t seen him. He blocked us seven years ago.”
