The Benin massacre acted as a chain that pulled the “punitive expedition“, as it was called by the British, into existence. On January 4 1897, a fraction of Benin army killed a British officer, Consul Philips, alongside his men for his obstinacy to enter Benin when he was not welcomed. In retaliation, the British authorities sent about 1,200 troops to destroy Benin and punish its King. Below is a detailed account of the massacre and expedition.
It is worthy of note that Benin kingdomhas existed from time immemorial and had thrived extensively as one of the most prosperous and mightiest kingdoms in West Africa. Benin kingdom traded slaves, ivory, pepper and palm oil with the Portuguese as early as 1485 and at the peak of its power, Benin influenced places as far as Akure and Owo in the western part of modern-day Nigeria. In 1853, the British made contact with the Binis to trade pepper, palm oil, clothes and ivory. Due to its economic and military power, Benin independently ran its trading activities in its region and was not subjected to orders from any other kingdom or empire, even Britain. The British found this displeasing and inimical to their lifetime mission which was to annex Benin into the British empire and depose the king, Oba Ovoramwen Nogbaisi, if necessary.
In 1892, Henry Gallway, a British Vice-Consul, visited Benin with the intention of annexing the kingdom through a treaty. He presented the so called treaty of “trade and friendship” to the Oba who was skeptical about the it and Britain as well. Oba Ovoramwen however signed the treaty agreeing to stop slavery and human sacrifice in Benin. But later, when Oba Ovoramwen realized that the treaty was nothing but a tactic to annex Benin into the British empire, he forbade his people to trade with the British and barred them (British) from entering Benin. The British saw this as a violation of the 1892 treaty and thus bent on punishing the Oba. Another action of Oba Ovoramwen that fueled the British urge to punish him was the stoppage of palm oil supply to Itsekiri middle men in 1896 because they refused to pay their tributes. The stoppage of palm oil supply to Itsekiri middle men negatively affected trading activities in the Benin river region. The British merchants in the region found Ovoramwen’s action deadly to their business and therefore persuaded the British authorities to depose and exile him, then annex the kingdom of Benin.
In November 1896, Acting Consul-General James Robert Philips sent a request to the British authorities in London for permission to invade Benin and depose Oba Ovoramwen. Without waiting for approval, Philips sent a message to Oba Ovoramwen that he wanted to pay him a friendly visit and discuss peace and trade. Unknowing to Philips, some Itsekiri chiefs had warned Oba Ovoramwen of Philips’ intention to visit Benin. The Oba quickly summoned his chiefs and tabled the matter before them. All the while, Consul Philips had set out for Benin with his “friendly troops” that consisted of two trading agents, two Niger coast protectorate officers, a medical officer and 250 African soldiers in the guise of porters.The Iyase (commander-in-chief of Benin army) argued that Philips was coming to raze Benin to ashes, so he should not be allowed to enter the kingdom. Oba Ovoramwen suggested that Philips should be granted entry first, but the Iyase ignored the King’s suggestion and ordered Ologbosere (a senior commander and the king’s son-in-law) to lead a handful of armed men to dislodge Philips and his so called friendly forces at Ughoton. On the 4th of January, 1897, the Benin forces caught Philips and his men unprepared in a forest in Ugbine village near Ughoton. They persuaded Philips not to further his journey to Benin because of the ongoing Igue festival which does not allow the king to welcome any visitor. Philips gave deaf ears to the warnings and in the scuffle, he was killed alongside his troops. Only two British survived the attack. This is what is being referred to today as the Benin massacre of 1897.
