Ijebu Ode: History
The largest city inhabited by the Ijebus, an ethnic group who speak the Ijebu Language, it is historically and culturally the headquarters of Ijebuland. The name "Ijebu-Ode" is a combination of the names of two persons namely, AJEBU and OLODE who were conspicuous as leaders of the original settlers and founders of the town. Today, however, due to migration, colonization, and inter-tribal marriage, Ijebu-Ode is now composed of a mixed people who majorly speak the general Yoruba language, as opposed to the local dialect. In 1891, the Ijebu tribe, dwelling between 50 and 60 miles north-east of Lagos on the Magbon river, set a blockade on the trade route from the interior into Lagos, which was a crown colony, and charged customs dues which served as their income. The Awujale, the traditional ruler of Ijebu, closed down the Ejirin market, cutting off Lagos from a source of up-country trade. The British colonial government persuaded the Awujale several times to open the blockaded route but the Ijebu ruler remained adamant. However, in May 1891, a British acting governor, Captain C.M. Denton C.M.G, together with some Hausa troops (mostly slaves who fled the North to the South and were recruited by the British) went to Ijebu kingdom to make an agreement with the Awujale on opening the blockaded route and allowing the free passage of goods into Lagos. The Awujale refused but after much persuasion and pressure, the Awujale agreed in January 1892 on the terms of receiving £500 annually as compensation for the loss of customs revenue. However, the agreement didn't last long. A white missionary was denied access to pass through the kingdom and was sent back. The British colonial government was provoked by the action of the Ijebus and authorized the formation of an expeditionary force to attack the kingdom; the British gathered men from the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, Ibadan, and Lagos (the Hausa troops numbering nearly 150 men). …