Oba of Benin

In 1897, a British military force of approximately 1,200 men under the command of Sir Harry Rawson mounted the Benin punitive Expedition.

[2] The force was dispatched in retaliation to the ambush of a British party, at Ugbine village near Gwato on 4 January 1897 by a group of Benin soldiers who were acting without orders from the Oba; the ambush had led to the deaths of all but two of the British party.

[3] The expeditionary force consisted of both indigenous soldiers and British officers based in colonial-era Nigeria.

Numerous artworks (collectively known as the Benin Bronzes) looted from the city palace were sold off to defray the costs of the expedition.

[7] His son, grandson and now his great-grandson, however, has preserved their title and status as traditional rulers in modern-day Nigeria.