Takum is a town and Local Government Area of Taraba State, Nigeria. It was created out of Wukari local government in June 1976. Takum borders the Republic of Cameroon in the south, Ussa Local Government to the west, Donga Local Government to the north, District within Takum are Angwan Dutse, Angwa Abuja, Tikari, Fadama, Gahwetun, Akenten, Acha Nyim, Chanchanji (Peva), Sufa, Shimta, Kufi, Muji, Akenten, Lufu, Kashimbilla, Kpaasan, Likam, Bete, Malumshe, Jidu, Tampwa, Dumse, Nyayirim, Liji, Shibong Igbang, Barki Lissa, Acha Sarka, Sabon Gida Yukuben etc. Takum LGA is divided into eleven electoral wards namely: Bete, Chanchanji, Dutse, Fete, Gahweton, Kashimbila, Manya, Rogo, Shibong, Tikari, Yukuben
Major tribes are the Kuteb, Ichen, Kpanzon, Tiv, Chamba, Uhumkhigi and Hausa. Takum is under the Traditional leadership of The Ukwe of Takum Rimamnyang Habu Ahmadu II.The postal code of the area is 671.
Geography Located adjacent to the montane borderland between Nigeria and Cameroon, Takum spans an area of 2,503 km with a population of 135,349 at the 2006 census. Its coordinates are: .
The Kuteb tribe is one of the fastest growing tribes in Nigeria with population of about 500,000 spread across Taraba State and other parts of Nigeria especially Southwest and South South. Other tribes found in Takum are Jukun (Kpanzo), Chamba, Ichen, Yukuben, Tiv, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, etc.
Takum Culture and Leadership
The Ukwe of Takum The Ukwe is the Supreme Head of the ruling families. This position is exclusively reserved for the Likam and Akenten ruling families. The Kutebs as the aborigines of Takum are governed by Ukwe (King) which history dates back to the Sixteenth Century. Some of the others tribes that later migrated to Takum e.g, Kpanzo, Chamba, Tiv, Yukuben, Hausa Had their own kings that oversaw their affairs, till 1914 when the then Colonial Government amalgamated the tribal rulerships in Takum into one Paramount Traditional Institution and upgraded it to a Third Class Stool. After a careful study of the history of the tribes in Takum, and upon realization that the Kutebs are the aborigines of Takum, the Colonial Government appointed Ukwe Ahmadu Gankwe (Kuteb) who then was a District Head as the first Ukwe Takum from 1914 below:
Rulers ReignUkwe Likam Kuteb I1510-1550Ukwe Rucwu Acha I1550-1600Ukwe Kuteb Riyang II1600-1645Ukwe Ajunkwe Acebuy1645-1695Ukwe Andeburga Ricwu Acha1695-1730Ukwe Kingham Gankwe I1730-1775Ukwe Ganza Kwetsa1775-1815Ukwe Atirikwe1815-1855Ukwe Ayipte Gayara1855-1890Ukwe Ribon Ipop Gamina1890-1912Ukwe Ahmadu Gankwe1912-1926Ukwe Hassan A Gankwe1926-1929Ukwe Ibrahim Kufang1929-1938Ukwe Audu Gyaa Ahmadu Kufang II1938-1963Ukwe Ali Ibrahim1963-1996Ukwe Rimamnyang Habu Ahmadu II2024- to Date It is worth stating here that all these previous Ukwe Takum were selected and appointed in accordance with Kuteb Native Law and Custom which provides for only two ruling Kuteb Families of Likam and Akenten.
Climate Takum, a tropical wet and dry climate, has a yearly temperature of 31.41°C (88.54°F), which is 1.95% higher than Nigeria's norms.
Languages Takum is highly linguistically diverse, with more than a dozen distinct local languages (mostly Jukunoid languages and Southern Bantoid languages).Languages of Nigeria (Ethnologue 22nd edition) Kuteb language Hausa Uhumkhigi Language Kpan language Acha Language Tiv language
References