| Official Name: | Atyap Chiefdom |
| Native Name: | A̱byin-tyok A̱tyap |
| Settlement Type: | Traditional state |
| Pushpin Map: | Nigeria |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Nigeria |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Nigeria |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kaduna State |
| Subdivision Type2: | LGA |
| Subdivision Name2: | Zangon Kataf |
| Subdivision Type3: | Chiefdom |
| Subdivision Name3: | Atyap |
| Government Type: | Elective monarchy |
| Leader Title: | A̠gwatyap |
| Leader Name: | A̠gwam Dominic Gambo Yahaya (KSM) |
| Coordinates: | 9.8167°N 30°W |
Atyap Chiefdom is a Nigerian traditional state of the Atyap people, located on the upper Kaduna River basin of the central Nigeria plateau in the Middle Belt. Its headquarters is at A̠tak Njei, Zangon Kataf, southern Kaduna state, Nigeria.[1] [2]
See main article: Atyap people. The dominant people group in the Chiefdom are the native Atyap people.
The Atyap Chiefdom was created in 1995. In 2007, it was upɡraded to a First Class status.[3]
The Atyap Chiefdom is run by the Atyap Traditional Council,[4] with the A̠gwatyap as its head.
The Kaduna state Ministry of Local Government Affairs gave its number of Existing Districts as 16, Approved Districts as five and Approved Village Units as 61.[5]
These are the districts between 1995 and 2017:[6]
| S/N | Tyap indigenous name | Hausa exogenous name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A̠buyap | Ungwar Rohogo | |
| 2 | Á̠nietcen-A̱fakan | Zangon Urban | |
| 3 | A̠shong A̠shyui | Jankasa | |
| 4 | Bafoi Ka̠nai | Gora Bafai | |
| 5 | Cen-A̠koo; also Zama A̠won | ||
| 6 | Gan Ka̠nai | Gora Gan | |
| 7 | Jei (Chiefdom Head district) | Unɡwar Gaiya | |
| 8 | Ka̠nai Mali
| Gora Gida | |
| 9 | Makomurum | Kibori | |
| 10 | Mancong | Magadan Wuka | |
| 11 | Mazaki | Gidan Zaki | |
| 12 | Ma̠nyi A̠ghyui | Kigudu | |
| 13 | Sop-A̠koo | Mabushi Kataf | |
| 14 | Shilyam, also Kwakhwu | ||
| 15 | Taligan (A̠takligan), also A̠ga̠mi | Magamiya | |
| 16 | Zonzon | Zonzon Gora |
However, these are the current five Government-Approved Districts from 2017 onwards, trimmed down by the incumbent Kaduna State governor Nasir Elrufai who accordingly said, as reported by Premium Times, Nigeria that the committee set up to address the district administration in the state concluded that the proliferation of the number of districts from the pre-2001 era had created a financial burden for Local Government Councils. Hence, their reversal back to the pre-2001 era. Viz:
| S/N | Tyap indigenous name | Hausa exoganous name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Á̠nietcen-A̱fakan | Zangon Urban | |
| 2 | Jei (Chiefdom Head-district) | Ungwar Gaiya | |
| 3 | Ka̠nai | Gora | |
| 4 | Zonzon | Zonzon Gora |
The headquarters of the Atyap Chiefdom is Atak Njei, where the Agwatyaps palace (Tyap: Magwatyap) is located.
Of recent, there had been moves by the Nasir el-Rufai-led Kaduna State government to question the locating of the palace in that very region located at the outskirts of the Hausa-Fulani-Kanuri dominated town of Zangon Kataf (Tyap: Á̠nietcen-A̱fakan), a move which has strongly been countered by the Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA).[7]
Atyap Chiefdom consists of four royal houses divided according to the four clans of the Atyap people, namely:
| S/N | Clan | Subclan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A̠gbaat | • A̠kpaisa • Jei • A̠kwak | |
| 2 | A̠minyam | • A̠fakan • A̠son | |
| 3 | A̠ku | ||
| 4 | A̠shokwa |
The word is derived from these two Tyap words: a̱gwam (i.e. a monarch) and A̱tyap (i.e. after the Atyap people) and literally means "monarch of the Atyap".
List of rulers| Start | End | Ruler | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2005 | HRH A̠gwam Ba̠la A̠de Da̠uke (JP), Agwatyap I | |
| 2005 | April 6, 2016 | HRH A̱gwam Dr. Harrison Yusuf Bunggwon (FNSE), A̠gwatyap II | |
| November 12, 2016 | Date | HRH A̱gwam Dominic Gambo Yahaya (KSM), Agwatyap III[9] |