XIXᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Niger Delta, Nigeria
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Jaja of Opobo was a powerful Niger Delta ruler who defended his authority to regulate trade and levy duties on British merchants. He halted trade on the river until a British firm agreed to pay duties and sent a mission to protest British interference. In 1887, Johnston lured him aboard a ship under promise of safe conduct, arrested him, and sent him into exile in the West Indies.
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Le récit
Jaja ruled Opobo in the Niger Delta and insisted that British traders respect local authority over commerce. He required the payment of duties and ordered a complete stoppage of trade on the river until one British firm agreed to comply. His actions expressed a broader insistence by Delta rulers on their sovereign rights to regulate trade and levy customs duties.
The British consul Johnston ordered Jaja to stop imposing duties on English traders. Rather than comply, Jaja dispatched a mission to the Foreign Office to protest the order. The dispute therefore moved from local commercial regulation to an international political confrontation over the meaning of sovereignty and treaty relations.
When Jaja continued to refuse, despite Johnston’s threat to bombard Opobo with British gunboats, Johnston enticed him aboard a ship in 1887 by promising safe conduct. Jaja was arrested, sent to Accra, tried and deported to the West Indies. Other Delta states, shocked by this treatment and divided internally, surrendered and accepted governing councils imposed by Johnston.
XIXᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Niger Delta, Nigeria
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Jaja of Opobo was a powerful Niger Delta ruler who defended his authority to regulate trade and levy duties on British merchants. He halted trade on the river until a British firm agreed to pay duties and sent a mission to protest British interference. In 1887, Johnston lured him aboard a ship under promise of safe conduct, arrested him, and sent him into exile in the West Indies.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Jaja ruled Opobo in the Niger Delta and insisted that British traders respect local authority over commerce. He required the payment of duties and ordered a complete stoppage of trade on the river until one British firm agreed to comply. His actions expressed a broader insistence by Delta rulers on their sovereign rights to regulate trade and levy customs duties.
The British consul Johnston ordered Jaja to stop imposing duties on English traders. Rather than comply, Jaja dispatched a mission to the Foreign Office to protest the order. The dispute therefore moved from local commercial regulation to an international political confrontation over the meaning of sovereignty and treaty relations.
When Jaja continued to refuse, despite Johnston’s threat to bombard Opobo with British gunboats, Johnston enticed him aboard a ship in 1887 by promising safe conduct. Jaja was arrested, sent to Accra, tried and deported to the West Indies. Other Delta states, shocked by this treatment and divided internally, surrendered and accepted governing councils imposed by Johnston.