BIDA, a town of West Africa in the Niger (formerly Nupe) province of Northern Nigeria, on the Baro-Minna branch of the Lagos-Kano railway. It lies 25m. E. of the Niger in 9° 5' N., 6° East. It was founded in 1859 when Fula rule was established in Nupe ; it is a walled town of considerable size. The inhabitants, mostly Hausa, carry on an extensive trade and are especially noted for their embossed brass and copper work. The Bida goblets, in which brass and copper are beautifully blended, are of extremely elegant design. The manufacture of glass and the dyeing of cloths are other industries. The streets are planted with huge shade-trees, so that as Bida is approached it looks like a forest.
In 1 897 there was a two-days' fight outside the walls of Bida between the forces of the emir of Nupe and those of the Royal Niger Company, ending in the defeat of the Fula army (mostly cavalry). It was not, however, until 190' that Bida, and with it Nupe, came under effective British control (see NUPE and NIGERIA : History) .