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There is a problem of paucity of written records on pre-colonial military matters in many African societies, especially the non-centralised polities. This has hampered the development of African military history. Primary sources were useful in reconstructing the pre-colonial military history of the Tula. Secondary sources on the state of development, military organization, internal relations, Africa’s contact with other parts of the world and the impact on developments and internal relations on the continent provided useful information. The paper shows that the pre-colonial military organisation, weapons, tactics and strategies of warfare of the Tula were determined by economic concerns, environmental factors, external relations framework, the behaviour of other ethnic groups, and their defence and security needs. Analysis of the introduction of firearms and their impact on pre- colonial Tula warfare and intergroup relations in the area up to colonialism is hampered by the problem of paucity of written records. Tula weapons were produced largely by indigenous technology and crafts. The findings of this study underscore the significance of primary sources in the reconstruction of the unwritten histories of some Nigerian ethnic groups and the essence and capacity of institutions in state-building in pre-colonial Nigeria.