*How and Why The Yoruba Land Became a British Colony*
Following the British prohibition of slaves being carried on any ship flying the British flag in 1808, the British Crown pursued a litany of treaties with several African Kingdoms with no expressed intentions to annex or mess with the sovereignty of the African kingdoms.
However, in addition to the expressed abolition of slavery and trades intents, the treaties were at best deceptive and were dubiously worded to appear as if the head of the African Kingdoms had sought the protection of the British Crown when in fact they had not. Effectively, the treaties gave the Brits more latitude to operate their trades without paying the trade duties levied by the African Kings. The treaties made it look as if the trade duties were waved by the Kings in exchange for protection by the British Crown.
Things get to a head in late 1851 when it dawned on the British Crown that the Yorubas were still too deeply entrenched in slave trade with no sign of stopping anytime soon. The British entered the Lagos harbors which was at the time the chief slave port of the Yorubas with ten ships to sign a transatlantic slave trade abolition treaty with the king of Lagos who until that time had not such treaty with the British Crown or any foreign authority for that matter. Unfortunately, for the fear of reprisal Kosoko could not bring himself to betray his kinsmen (the other Yoruba kings) peddling their lucrative slave trade exploits through the Lagos ports. Kosoko refused to sign the slave trade abolition treaty.
As the British Consul became too persistent, Kososko ordered his men to fire upon the British ships from shore on the consuls second and third attempt to get him to sign the slavery abolition treaty. This action will forever remain the catalyst that kick started the unfortunate events of the next 109 years. When Kosoko’s men open fire on the British ships a second time, the H.M.S. Bloodhound responded with a magazine blast that incinerated a vast portion of Lagos.
The battle raged untill Kosoko abandoned his stool and escaped Lagos on January 1, 1852. Akitoye who was previously deposed by Kosoko retuned as the King of Lagos same day and signed the slave abolition treaty. Akitoye died three weeks later only to be succeeded by his son Dosunmu who like many new kings was not fully in charge and was unwilling to end slave trade.
10 years and seven months later, the British Crown decided that Dosunmu was rather too compromised to be of any use in their bid to end slave trade. Thus, the British Consul invited Dosunmu aboard the H. M. S. Prometheus on August 6, 1861 where he was persuaded to sign a treaty ceeding Lagos to Queen of England. Dosunmu later protested not knowing the full ramification or understanding the terms of the treaty that was forced upon him and he had signed. The deed was done, the Colony of Lagos was established.
In my deligent review of the colonization of Africa, I did not at anytime find or hear of any further treaty or treaties ceeding any additional Yoruba kingdom to the Queen of England. Unfortunately though, it appear to me that the entire Kaaro OoJiire land fell headlong into the colonization pool voluntarily and without any force or coercion. Possibly because they were too aware of the damage the H. M. S Bloodhound did in Lagos a decade before. I found this act of surrender into voluntary colonization, subjugation, and captivity bemusing. If anything, there are no records of any forms of resistance to the colonization effort from any of the other Kaaro OoJiire states.
I ask anyone with a better and more detailed account of the colonization treaties with any additional Yoruba kingdoms to enlighten us all further. In a nutshell, the inability of the Yoruba kings to heed the good natured and friendly request to end the evil called slave trade is the reason Yorubaland was ever colonized. The question remains though. Lagos was never at any point in history the Capital of the Yorubas, why would the capture of Lagos cause the capitulation of the entire network of Yoruba nations?
Thank you!
Olusegun K. Phillips-Alonge, PhD
