The kingdom
The Ijebu kingdom, with its capital at Ijebu-Ode, lies between the Lagos lagoon and the interior. Its king carries the title Awujale. Ijebu developed its own chieftaincy institutions, including a strong Osugbo (the Ijebu form of Ogboni) that shared in judicial and political authority.
Trade as statecraft
Its position made Ijebu a gatekeeper between the coast and the hinterland. In the nineteenth century it controlled key trade routes and earned revenue as a middleman, and it restricted the passage of traders and missionaries to protect that position.
Confrontation with Britain
Ijebu's control of the routes brought it into conflict with the British colony at Lagos. In May 1892 a British expedition defeated the Ijebu army at Imagbon and occupied Ijebu-Ode. This opened the interior to colonial trade and influence and was an early step in the British takeover of Yorubaland.
Further reading
- E. A. Ayandele, The Ijebu of Yorubaland, 1850-1950 (Heinemann, 1992)
- Samuel Johnson, The History of the Yorubas (1921)