Background of the Battle of Imagbon.
In 1891, the Ijebu people, living 80 to 100 kilometers northeast of Lagos on the Magbon River, established a blockade and imposed tariffs on the trade route to Lagos, then a crown colony. The Awujale (traditional Ijebu ruler) closed the Ejirin market and cut off Lagos from its inland source of trade. The British government repeatedly urged Awujale to open the blocked road, but the ruler of Ijebu remained adamant. However, in May 1891, the acting Governor of Great Britain, Captain C.M. Denton C.MG and some Hausa soldiers (mainly slaves who had escaped from the north to the south and were recruited by the British army) went to Ijebu Kingdom to persuade Awujale to open the blocked road and allow the free movement of goods to make Lagos possible. Awujale initially refused, but after much persuasion and pressure, he agreed in January 1892 on the grounds that he would receive £500 per year as compensation for the loss of customs revenue. The people of Ijebu were unhappy with this outcome as they did not want to change their traditional methods and practices, especially in the face of foreign threats. Failure of the agreement However, this agreement did not last long.The white missionary was denied passage through Ijebu Kingdom and was sent back. The British government was provoked by Ijebu’s actions and authorized the use of force against his kingdom. Britain gathered troops from the Gold Coast (Ghana), Sierra Leone, Ibadan and Lagos (about 150 Hausa soldiers). Colonel F.C.Scott C.B. He was the commander of the 450-man force recruited from Britain. On May 12, 1892, the captain and his men, including several aircraft carriers, sailed up the Lagos Lagoon and landed at Ekpe. When they reached Leckie, another group of porters (approximately 186 people) were recruited. On the Ijebu side, 8,000 men equipped with old rifles will fight the British.The British underestimated the Ijebu fighting skills, which made it difficult for them to invade the Ijebu Kingdom.
During the Battle of Imagbon (British-Ijebu War) in . On the first day, the British army destroyed four villages and some of their men were mortally wounded. The next day they went to Atumba and opened fire on Ijebus with machine guns. Britain lost 12 men, one Briton and 12 Africans. All the Ijebu villages they encountered were razed to the ground. Although the Ijebusa lost the battle, they were determined to prevent the British army from crossing the Yemoyi River. The river goddess Yemoyi is said to have made human sacrifices to prevent (British) invaders from reaching the other bank. The river was dug deeper to make it completely impenetrable to the British army. However, the British army managed to cross the sacred Yemoyi River and devastate Ijebusa. They went to the village of Imagbon. Ijebus lost over 900 men, while Britain lost only 56 men and about 30 were wounded.The Ijebusa were still determined to fight, but soon after, the Awujale surrendered and admitted defeat. The British Union flag was then hoisted over Ijebu Oda. Captain Scot warned his men of the devastation, some of whom paid no heed, particularly the irregulars from Ibadan, who were subsequently disarmed. The Oru toll gates built by Ijebusa were destroyed and some of their temples were also burnt. This war is known in history as the Battle of Imagbon, Anglo-Ijebu War and Ijebu Expedition of 1892. , , British troops received the East & West Africa medal with clasp dated “1892”. Today one of these medals is in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The Ijebu Kingdom was later annexed to the Colony of Southern Nigeria.
