ABSTRACT
The Itsekiri, a coastal people, had been in contact with Europeans since the sixteenth century. The era of the slave trade was one of comparative prosperity for the Itsekiri. One consequence of the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, and the slow progress in the palm-oil trade, was the collapse of the Itsekiri monarchy. The towns of Batere, Jakpa and later Ebrohimi were founded by leading Itsekiri traders. The Ebrohimi expedition which the British launched against Nana in 1894 arose out of a familiar pattern of events in the history of West Africa in the age of the Scramble and Partition. The Ebrohimi expedition was, in some respects, similar to other expeditions mounted by the British against other rulers in West Africa. On the other hand, the Ebrohimi expedition stands out by the sheer military build-up which was considered necessary if victory was to be won.
