This is the story of the first oil war, fought in the 19th century in what is now Nigeria.
Throughout the 19th century, palm oil was highly prized by the British for its use as an industrial lubricant in machinery. As the world’s first industrialized nation, Britain relied on resources like palm oil to sustain its machinery. The Niger Delta, where palm oil is native, became central to this trade. Although Malaysia would later dominate the industry, by 1870, palm oil had replaced the slave trade as the main export from the Niger Delta, previously known as the Slave Coast.
Initially, palm oil trade was uncoordinated, with local chiefs selling to the highest bidders. Figures like Jaja of Opobo, a former slave, became incredibly wealthy and influential through the palm oil trade. However, as competition grew among Europeans for control of the lucrative palm oil market, the landscape changed.
In 1879, George Goldie formed the United African Company (UAC), modeled after the East India Company, gaining control of the Lower Niger River. By 1884, the UAC had established 30 trading posts along the Lower Niger, giving Britain a significant advantage during the Berlin Conference that same year. The British secured the area within their sphere of influence, laying the groundwork for future exploitation.
Once Britain had secured the necessary agreements with European powers, they turned to dealing with African chiefs. By 1886, Goldie had signed treaties with numerous tribal leaders along the Niger and Benue Rivers, pushing further inland against previous agreements. That year, the company changed its name to the National Africa Company and was granted a royal charter, allowing it to administer the Niger Delta and surrounding regions. Shortly after, the company was renamed the Royal Niger Company, which exists today as Unilever.
The Royal Niger Company promised free trade to local chiefs but often manipulated the terms through private contracts written in English. These contracts were enforced by the British government, leading to the displacement of powerful local rulers. Jaja of Opobo, for instance, was exiled when he tried to export palm oil independently, accused of “obstructing commerce.” Tragically, he was poisoned on his journey back after being pardoned in 1891.
Seeing Jaja’s fate, other chiefs, like King Koko Mingi VIII of Nembe, grew wary of the Royal Niger Company’s monopoly. King Koko, who had previously been a Christian schoolteacher, renounced Christianity in 1894 and attempted to form an alliance with neighboring kingdoms to reclaim control of trade. However, Bonny, one of the potential allies, refused to join, showcasing the effectiveness of the British “divide and rule” strategy.
On January 29, 1895, King Koko led an assault on the Royal Niger Company’s headquarters in Akassa, Bayelsa State. His forces captured the base, taking 60 hostages and seizing valuable goods and weapons. However, when Koko tried to negotiate for the release of the hostages in exchange for trade autonomy, the British refused. In response, Koko executed 40 of the hostages, leading to a retaliatory attack by the British Navy, which destroyed Brass and decimated the Nembe population.
By April 1895, British dominance had been restored, and King Koko was forced into hiding. The Nembe Kingdom was fined £500, a significant sum in those days, and the British reclaimed their control over the region. King Koko was later declared an outlaw, with a £200 bounty placed on his head. He eventually committed suicide in exile in 1898.
Around the same time, another ruler, the Oba of Benin, faced a similar fate as British pacification of the Lower Niger continued. The aftermath of the Brass Oil War turned public opinion in Britain against the Royal Niger Company, leading to the revocation of its charter in 1899. The British government subsequently purchased the company’s holdings for £865,000, equivalent to £108 million today. This sum marked the price paid by Britain to secure control over the territory that would later become Nigeria.
