Egba Uprising

a major revolt of the Africans in Nigeria against the British colonial authorities and their network of agents. The uprising, which was provoked by the colonial authorities’ introduction of direct taxation, took place in June 1918 in the small state of the Egba in western Nigeria. During the uprising, the Egba seized several administrative buildings, demolished storage facilities, and severed the railroad and telegraph lines that linked the cities of Baro and Minna. The local ruler, or alake, was forced to flee. The colonial authorities sent an army unit of approximately 1,000 officers and men to suppress the revolt. The rebels lost more than 3,500 men during the uprising.