Abdullah II Kademi

Abdullah II, called Abdullah Kademi, was mai of the Kanem–Bornu Empire in the early 14th century, ruling approximately 1311–1322.

Life

Abdullah was a son of mai Kade I Aujami. His mother was named Fatima. Abdullah succeeded his cousin Ibrahim I Nikale as mai in the early 14th century, after Ibrahim was murdered by a group led by the yerima Muhammad bin Ghadi.
Abdullah is remembered as a just ruler. He began his reign by avenging the murder of Ibrahim, sending word that the murderers should come to him to be ennobled. When the murderers arrived at court, Abdullah had them executed. Abdullah defeated a figure named Bagharimi or Bagharimma Gayu in a civil war. Bagharimi may have been some sort of rival in Ibrahim's reign. Abdullah is said to have "established his power with a strong hand".
There is considerable disagreement in the sources on the length of Abdullah's reign. He died of natural causes in Njimi and was succeeded as mai by his son Selema III. Selema and his three successors, all sons of Abdullah, would reign in quick succession and all die fighting against the Sao. In later tradition, the deaths of Abdullah's sons were blamed on an incident when he had four thieves, all sons of the same mother, executed. The mother supposedly invoked God as witness to the thefts and prayed that the Abdullah's line would be ended.