The Unknown Arabs by Tariq Berry (2007)

The Kanuri

"The Kanuri is also an Arab tribe. They are descended from Saif ibn Dhi Yazan, the aforementioned famous Himyaritc king of the 6th century A.D. Biodun Adediran says, "Among the Kanuri, the belief in an ancestral migration from Arabia is very strong. According to the legends, the culture-hero of the Kanuri was one Sayf b. Din Yazan." El-Ghaneemi says, "One of the Arab tribes that settled around the basin of Lake Chad is the tribe of Kanuri." I once interviewed a person from the Kanuri tribe and he confirmed to me that his tribe is, in fact, descended from Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan.

The Yoruba

"The Yoruba tribe, with its many branches such as the Oyo, Egba, Egbado, Ijebu, Ekiti, Ondo, Akoko, Ikale, Ijesha, Yagba, Jumu, Aworo, Ife, Aja, and Mahi, is an Arab tribe that entered the area called Africa from Arabia many years ago. Some say that they are from Mecca and from the tribe of Quraish. Others say that they are descended from Ya’rub the son of Qahtan from the Yemen; hence the name Yoruba. 

Frank Willett says, “Clapperton has recorded Sultan Bello’s account of the Arabian origin of the Yoruba.” Speaking of Yoruba traditions of origin, Biodun Adediran mentions the tradition that the Yoruba are descended from “a prince who migrated from Arabia.” Samuel Johnson, in his book The History of the Yoruba, mentions that the Yoruba come from Mecca. 

The Encylopedia Britannica says, “Another important linguistic group consists of the Yoruba-speaking peoples who, like the Hausa and the Fulani, have ancient connections with the Middle East.” Allister MacMillan says, “The Yorubas claim to have come from the East, and this is probably correct; they are certainly not of pure Negro type as are the rest of the forest tribes.” 

Joseph Wiliams says, “Dennett would look even further to the East for an explanation of many of the characteristics of this same people (the Yoruba), when he quotes approvingly from an article in the Nigerian Chronicle as follows: ‘There can be little doubt that the Yoruba people are at least intimately connected with the Orientals (people from the East). Their customs bear a remarkable resemblance to those of the races of Asia. Their vocabulary teems with words derived from some of the Semitic languages; and there are many natives of Yorubaland to be found having features very much like those of Syrians and Arabians.” 

From Kehinde Thompson 

Source: Kanuri-twitter.com/saly_queen/status/1255446317406605314/