Black Heritage

European Penetration of Yorubaland and the Loss of Independence

Whereas the British presence in the Niger area had been gradually established through the activities of explorers, missionaries and traders, the effective occupation of any part of Nigeria by the British did not take place until punitive expedition against Lagos in 1851.  In 1892, the Ijebu, who had failed to learn from the fall of Lagos, witnessed the show of British Military power. The Itsekiri in 1894, the Nembe-Brass in 1895, the Benin in 1897 and the Aro between 1901 and 1902, all acknowledged the superiority of the British maxim guns. There is dichotomy among scholars on the motives of the invasions and the reasons behind the ineffective resistance by Nigerian people. The major reason loudly advertised by European scholars was the humanitarian theory. Scholars in this school of thought argue that, the British military expeditions had the primary motive of abolishing slave trade, human sacrifice and other emblems or evidences of savagery and cannibalism among African people. Furthermore, there was need to check African rulers who were “isolated soulless Leviathans who mercilessly ground overwhelming majority of people under their heels.”

The humanitarian excuse by the British invaders appears unfounded. It is true that the British humanitarian policy was geared towards abolishing slave trade and some African practices, the British Abolition Act of 1807 came after the British capitalist elite had amassed wealth to lead  in the waves of industrial revolution sweeping through Europe. Not only that, despite interactions of the British explorers, traders and missionaries with indigenous African peoples, their state of knowledge about African culture and tradition was too scanty.  Hence, to the British invaders, African rulers with their sophisticated administrative ingenuity were no more than the Leviathans.  It is significant to note that at the time of invasion, the British administrative system was by no means superior to many African states. In Oyo for instance, there existed a system of limited Monarchy based on checks and balances. Similarly, while the Ibadan operated republicanism, the Igbo political system was peculiarly democratic in nature.  

The economic theory or what some scholars have called the Legitimate Trade Thesis was very popular among scholars of African origin. They argued that indeed industrial revolution in England and Europe might not have taken place without the fortunes and capital wealth that the highly profitable slave trade enabled most European powers to amass. The sudden decision of Britain which hitherto was the leading country in the transaction in human being was questionable. After the Abolition Act of 1807, Britain assumed un-usual abolition posture and aggressive diplomacy, bullying and bribing other European countries, particularly Spain and Portugal, to emulate the British anti-slavery policy. Similarly, to stop slave trade, the British established the Free Colony or settlement in Sierra Leone for the recaptives, sent a detachment of British navy, the West Africa Naval Squadron, to patrol on West African Waters and bribed and signed different treaties with African in order to stop the traffic of slave from the source. But it is significant to note that all these efforts were geared towards securing African goods such as rubber, palm-oil and ivory-tusks.

Although African people were not passive in resisting the British invaders, the form of resistance mounted was ineffective. Certain factors were responsible for this. First, African traditional rulers in their political shortsightedness failed to provide a united front against the invaders. One would have expected for instance that both Caliph of the Sokoto Caliphate and Sheu of Borno Empire would provide united front in the north. Rather, the hostility between the two empires increase as the Caliphate sponsored disgruntled elements within Borno.

At the time of the British invasion, each exiting state in Nigeria had its own peculiar internal problems. In Lagos for instance, there was succession dispute between the rival branches of families of Kosoko and Akitoye over the Obaship of Lagos. Thus, the political crisis and excuse of slave trade provided the fertile ground for the invasion of Lagos. Similarly, Benin was facing both political and economic crisis. The period that preceded the reign of Oba Ovonramwen was marked with internecine wars and political crisis. Shortly after his ascension to the throne, Ovonramwen embarked on massacre of his political rivals. The Empire also faced serious economic crisis. Yorubaland was not excluded either as civil and mutually destructive wars prevailed. The military exploit and imperial ambition of Ibadan brought it into conflict with many Ekiti and Ijesa kingdoms. The conflict between the Ibadan warriors and the Ekiti Parapo army lasted for uninterrupted 16 years. All these prevented the almighty Ibadan warriors to provide leadership role that could mobilize other Yoruba state for a united front against the British invaders as they did against the Fulani Jihadists. The ultimate explanation of ineffective resistance to colonial conquest by African states lay in the superiority of the colonial armies in arms, strategy and experience. The technological breakthrough that followed the industrial revolution in Europe placed the white race above other races of the world. Hence, after the bombardment of Ijebuland, the Ibadan and the Egba needed no lesson to acknowledge the overwhelming technological superiority of the British invaders.          

 The British in Abeokuta

The establishment of British protectorate on Abeokuta was preceded by two major events. First, the coming of  the Christian Missionaries marked the beginning of serious interaction of the Egba people with the Europeans. As early as 1842 the presence of the British had become visible. On December 6 1842, Thomas Birch Freeman, the Wesleyan Missionary Pioneer in West Africa, visited the Egba war camp but arrived in Abeokuta on 11 December at the request of the Sierra Leoneans emigrants. Rev. Henry Townsend accompanied by Samuel Ajayi Crowther arrived on 3 August 1846 to establish the Wesleyan Mission. The Wesleyan Mission was joyously received by the people of Abeokuta. They were given land to build church and houses. They were permitted to preach freely among the Egba people and hold property. The Rev. C. Martin visited Abeokuta in 1847 and established the Anglican Church. This was followed by the Baptist Mission in 1850 by Rev. Bowen.

Second, the security of the Abeokuta was threatened by the Dahomey which had asserted its independence of Oyo control since early 1820s. After the fall of Oyo, Dahomey found an opportunity to retaliate several years of humiliation. In March 1851, Dahomey army estimated at about 10000 men and 6000 wowmen under their leader, Gezo attacked Abeokuta. With the help the British, particularly Rev. Henry Townsend, the Dahomey forces were decisively routed by the Egba. After the war the British remained steadfast in support of the Egba. The British authorized Beecroft to supply arms valued £300, sign treaty with the Egba and warn Gezo not to repeat his attack on Abeokuta. Not only that, the British sent Commander Forbes to teach the Egba some elements of military tactics, to train some Sierra Leone immigrant volunteers as gunners and conclude the anti-slave trade with them. The acceptance of the British protectorate by the Egba was not a sign of weakness. The Egba welcome the missionaries and the British gesture in order to obtain the white man wonder-striking arms and ammunition. They needed to survive the hostility from Ibadan and menace from Dahomey. Hence, the support of and access to the European ammunitions would provide the much-needed protection. After the British invasion of Ijebu Ode in 1892, the Egba had not only realized the superiority of the white man’s technology but also futility in resistance.

The Ijebu

Before the invasion of their land in 1892, the Ijebu had enjoyed relative tranquility and built wealth through trade even when other parts of Yorubaland were engulfed in war. They were preoccupied with how to protect their trade and sovereigntyThe strategic location of the Ijebu as the midway between Lagos and the interior gave them trade monopoly over others. The Ijebu maintained their trade monopoly by opening or closing the trade routes at will. This had many grave effects. In the first instance, the Ibadan imperial ambition was affected as a result of inaccessibility to the fire arms from Lagos to prosecute their war against the Ekiti Parapo. The British economic interest in the interior was also badly affected. The closure of the trade route meant that the British traders could not transact business directly with the people in the interior. Worst still, unlike the Egba, the Ijebu saw the missionaries as the agents of the British. Hence, their hostility towards the missionaries.  In 1891 when Acting Governor Denton visited to persuade the Ijebu to open the trade routes, the Ijebu refused to discuss with him this was regarded as an insult.

The expedition against the Ijebu lasted between 12 and 20 May 1892. The British army was commanded by Colonel F. C. Scott. The British made use of the Detachment of the West India Regiment commanded by Major Madden and the Lagos Hausas and Gold Coast Hausas under Captain Tarbet and Bayly respectively. The British army was guided and accompanied by the Ibadan soldiers. After series of battles, the Ijebu soldiers surrendered and sued for peace.   

  

 References

J.F. Ade Ajayi and Michael Crowder, History of West Africa, Volume II (Longman: 1976).

J.U.J. Asiegbu, Nigeria and Its British Invaders: 1851-920 (Enugu: Nok Publishers, 1984).

Obaro Ikime, The Fall of Nigeria (Heinemann, 1977).

S. Biobaku, Egba and the Neighbours (Ibadan: University Press, 1991)