Deba Habe, city in northeastern Nigeria, located in Gombe State. The city is an agricultural trade center supplying the region with cassava, millet, and durra (a type of sorghum). The city lies in the savanna region of northern Nigeria and cattle raising is an important component of the city's economy. Deba Habe is part of the Fulani cultural region. About 1810 the town was captured by Buba Yero, the first Fulani emir, or ruler, of Gombe, a city to the northeast, and incorporated into the Fulani empire. Deba Habe still remains one of the larger cities in the sparsely populated northeastern region of the country. Most of the inhabitants of the city are Muslim. Population (1995) 135,400.
