History: The Fall Of Benin Kingdom In 1897

• On 12 January 1897, Rear-Admiral Harry Rawson, commander of the Royal Navy forces at the Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station was appointed by the Admiralty to lead a force to invade the Kingdom of Benin, capture the Benin Oba and destroy Benin City.
• The operation was named the Benin Punitive Expedition.

On 9 February 1897, the invasion of the Kingdom of Benin began. The British invasion force of about 1,200 Royal Marines, sailors and Niger Coast Protectorate Forces was organised into three columns: the ‘Sapoba’, ‘Gwato’ and ‘Main’ columns.

Flotillas of warships (including HMS Philomel and Phoebe) and gunboats approached Benin City from the east and west.

The ‘Sapoba’ and ‘Main’ columns reached Benin City after ten days of fighting. The ‘Gwato’ column (under Captain Gallwey) took the same route as that taken by the previous mission and came on the scene of the massacre, finding headless bodies of the victims.

On 18 February Benin City was captured by the expedition. The city was set ablaze, although it has been claimed that this was accidental.

Eight members of the punitive force were recorded as being killed in action during the Benin Expedition; the number of military and civilian casualties amongst the Benin people was not estimated but is thought to have been very high.

The Benin Expedition was regarded as a stroke of disciplined and coordinated planning.

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Immediately after the city was captured, widespread looting began. It was an exercise that was carried out by all members of the expedition.

Houses, sacred sites, ceremonial buildings and palaces of many high-ranking chiefs were looted and many buildings were burned down, including the Palace building itself on Sunday 21 February.

There was evidence of previous human sacrifice found by members of the expedition with journalists reporting that the town ‘reeked of human blood.

The Oba was eventually captured by the British consul-general, Ralph Moor. He was deposed and exiled to Calabar. A British Resident was appointed, and six chiefs were hung in Benin City’s marketplace.

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