Ijebu was a Yoruba kingdom in pre-colonial Nigeria. It formed around the fifteenth century. According to legend, its ruling dynasty was founded by Obanta of Ile-Ife. Scholars today have also identified the influence of the Benin Empire in the court art and ritual of the Ijebu. Jump to: navigation, search The Yorùbá are the second largest ethnic group in Nigeria, after the Hausa and Fulani (21%). The Yorubas constitute approximately 21% percent of Nigerias total population, and number upwards of 30 million individuals throughout the region of West Africa. ... Jump to: navigation, search Obanta was the first King of Ijebu Ode, a town in Nigeria. ... A bronze cast depicting the head of an Ooni, or king, from 1100s-1200s Ife. ...

The kingdom was one of the most developed in the region with a complex and highly organized government. The capital was at Ijebu Ode where the Awujale had his palace. Counterbalancing the Awujale was the Osugbo, a council of all free born men that acted as the kingdom's courts. The Osugbo was divided into six groups based on rank, the highest being the iwarefa, whose head the oliwa was the second most powerful figure in the nation. Also powerful was the olisa who could be described as the mayor of Ijebu Ode. Like many African societies, Ijebu was also divided into three age ranks and these groups each had their own leaders. Located in south-western Nigeria, Ijebu Ode with over 100,000 residents is the second largest city in Ogun State after Abeokuta. ... Oliwa (Oliva) is one of the quarters of Gdańsk. ...

The state rose in power in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries mainly due to its important position on the trade routes between Lagos and Ibadan. The kingdom imposed sharp limits on trade insisting that all trade trough the region be conducted by Ijebu merchants. The monopoly brought great wealth to the kingdom, but also annoyed Europeans. Map of Nigeria showing Lagos on the lower left Lagos is the largest city in Nigeria. ... Ibadan is the second largest city in Nigeria and the capital of Oyo State. ...

Despite its wealth the kingdom fell into internal conflict in the late nineteenth century. The kingdom never had a strong military and had long been forced to rely on mercenaries. These foreigners further destabilized the nation. Mercenary (disambiguation). ...

In 1892 the British attacked Ijebu in response to its barriers on trade. The British were successful and occupied the capital, burning the meeting hall of the Osugbo. For several years the capital was occupied by British troops as the kingdom was annexed to the colony of Southern Nigeria. Jump to: navigation, search 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Southern Nigeria was a British protectorate in the coastal areas of modern-day Nigeria, formed in 1900 from union of the Niger Coast Protectorate with territories chartered by the Royal Niger Company below Lokoja on the Niger River. ...

References

Peter C. Lloyd, "Ijebu" African Kingships in Perspective