Machina

Machina, also known as Matsena, is a border town in northern Yobe State on the frontier with Niger and the headquarters of Machina Local Government Area, a roughly 1,200 km² district of about 62,000 people (2006 census). The Machina Emirate here traces its origins to the Kanem-Bornu Empire and describes itself as one of the oldest emirates in Nigeria; historically the settlement was a frontier trading post between the Bornu Empire and trans-Saharan caravan routes. Kanuri, Fulani, and Hausa are all spoken locally.