A battle for control of it occurred at Anfao, and 
A battle for control of it occurred at Anfao, and the general Yaya manipulated a crucial succession.  Originating in the Dendi region, it was destroyed at Tonbidi by Ahmad al-Mansur of Morocco in 1591, and its 1464 ascendancy saw victories over the Mossi, Dogon, Fulani, and Tuaregs.  It became the first West African Empire to institute a civil bureaucracy.  Ruling from Gao, FTP, name this empire whose rulers included Muhammad Askia and Sunni Ali, located in what is now Nigeria.
A battle for control of it occurred at Anfao, and the general Yaya manipulated a crucial succession.  
Songhai Empire