In the mid nineteenth century, Lagos stood at a strategic crossroads of trade and politics along the West African coast. Its lagoon system linked inland Yoruba markets to Atlantic commerce, making it both economically valuable and politically significant. Control of Lagos meant influence over customs revenue, maritime access, and regional diplomacy.
British interest in Lagos formed within broader imperial policy. The suppression of the transatlantic slave trade had become official policy, and naval patrols were active along the coast. At the same time, British merchants sought secure trade routes, stable customs arrangements, and predictable authority in ports where they operated. Lagos became central to both aims.
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The 1851 bombardment, force reshapes Lagos politics
In December 1851, British naval forces attacked Lagos in what became known as the reduction of Lagos. The bombardment led to the removal of Oba Kosoko and the restoration of Oba Akitoye, who had previously sought British support.
This intervention altered the political balance within Lagos. While sovereignty formally remained with the oba, British influence deepened. The attack demonstrated that Britain was willing to use naval power to secure outcomes aligned with its policy objectives.
Rising pressure, from influence to annexation
After Akitoye’s death in 1853, his successor Oba Dosunmu, known in British records as Docemo, inherited a tense political climate. Rival factions remained active, and British officials and merchants pressed for clearer control over customs, land disputes, and commercial regulation.
Concerns extended beyond local politics. The possibility of renewed instability in Lagos and competition from other European powers increased British determination to secure direct authority. By 1861, British representatives moved beyond diplomatic leverage and demanded formal cession.
6 August 1861, the Treaty of Cession
On 6 August 1861, the Treaty of Cession transferred Lagos to the British Crown. The British signatories were Commander Norman B. Bedingfield of HMS Prometheus and Acting Consul William McCoskry. Oba Dosunmu and Lagos chiefs signed on behalf of Lagos.
The treaty declared that Lagos, including its port and territories, was ceded to the British Crown. It permitted Dosunmu to retain the use of the title of king in its local sense and to adjudicate disputes among Lagos natives with their consent, subject to appeal under British law. Sovereignty, however, passed to Britain.
The agreement also included provisions for compensation. Dosunmu was granted an annual pension drawn from revenue, replacing his previous sovereign income. British naval presence during negotiations underscored the imbalance of power at the moment of signing.
18 February 1862, pension terms formalised
An Additional Article dated 18 February 1862 clarified the pension arrangement promised to Dosunmu. It fixed the annual payment at a defined sum and recorded his formal acceptance of the conditions. This document was signed on behalf of the Crown by Governor Henry Stanhope Freeman and witnessed by figures including Samuel Ajayi Crowther and John Hawley Glover.
Together, the August 1861 treaty and the February 1862 article completed the legal transfer and compensation structure that accompanied annexation.
5 March 1862, Lagos proclaimed a Crown Colony
On 5 March 1862, Lagos was proclaimed a British Crown Colony. This marked the transition from treaty cession to formal colonial administration. A governor, courts, revenue systems, and regulations were established under imperial authority.
The colony initially encompassed a relatively limited territorial area focused on the island and its immediate surroundings. Administration evolved over time as British structures were consolidated.
Governance shifts, Sierra Leone and the Gold Coast
Colonial administration in Lagos was integrated into wider British West African structures. From 1866 to 1874, Lagos was governed from Sierra Leone. From 1874 to 1886, it was administered as part of the Gold Coast colony. In 1886, Lagos regained separate colonial status under its own governor.
These administrative shifts reflected imperial priorities and resource allocation rather than changes in sovereignty.
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Law, commerce, and political change
Annexation transformed ultimate authority in Lagos. Appeals in legal disputes could now reach British courts, and customs and revenue administration operated under colonial regulation. Trade increasingly aligned with British commercial networks, particularly in palm oil and other export commodities.
Over time, Lagos developed into a major colonial centre. Its later role as capital of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria was established in 1914, decades after annexation. The events of 1861 and 1862 laid the legal foundation for that later expansion.
The takeover of Lagos was achieved through force, treaty, and formal proclamation. The 1851 bombardment altered leadership. The 6 August 1861 treaty transferred sovereignty. The 18 February 1862 article clarified compensation. The 5 March 1862 proclamation created a Crown Colony. Together, these steps ended Lagos’s status as an independent coastal kingdom and placed it firmly within the British Empire.
Author’s Note
The annexation of Lagos unfolded in stages, naval force, diplomatic pressure, legal transfer, and administrative proclamation, and each stage reshaped authority along the lagoon. What began as influence became sovereignty, and what was once a coastal kingdom became a colonial foundation for the political structure that followed.
References
National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, A Century of Lawmaking in Nigeria, Volume 1, reproduced text of the Lagos Treaty of Cession, 6 August 1861, and Additional Article, 18 February 1862.
A. G. Hopkins, Property Rights and Empire Building, Britain’s Annexation of Lagos, 1861, Journal of Economic History, 1980.
Robert Smith, The Lagos Consulate, 1851 to 1861, Macmillan, 1979.
Samuel Johnson, The History of the Yorubas, first published 1921, later editions.
