Zungeru was a former capital of today’s Northern Nigeria from 1902-1916. The railway station is one of the oldest in Nigeria and therefore holds historical significance to the creation of the colony of Nigeria.
According to local oral history, "Zungeru" is a corrupted form of the word "Dunguru". Tradition holds that British colonialists came upon a Gwari man playing a Dunguru (a musical instrument used by the Nupe and Gwari) in the area of what is now Zungeru. They asked him what it was he called, he told them "Dunguru", and the corrupted form "Zungeru" became the name of the settlement.
British forces occupied Zungeru in September 1902, which was then populated by Gwari. Colonial administrator Frederick Lugard chose the town as capital of Northern Nigeria over Jebba and Lokoja due to its central location. The British cleared the forest in the area and established a market, military barracks, hospital and other administrative buildings.
Charles Orr's Memoirs Volume 4
