At the start of British colonial rule in northern Nigeria, the natives who lived in the area were referred to as the 'Northern Nigerians' - a term which is still used today. On May 27, 1967, the area was broken up into six separate states, one of which was the North-Central State. This name was changed to Kaduna State in 1976. It was then further divided in 1987, losing the area now part of Katsina State. In 1975, the 'Kaduna' State was formally created by the then military leader, General . General Mohammed decided to collect these six different states into one state, and did so without a referendum. This new state is the successor of what was called the 'Northern Region of Nigeria'.