Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi (ruled 1888–1897) was the last Oba of the Old Benin kingdom before the British punitive expedition of 1897 led to his capture, exile, incarceration and eventual death in Calabar on January 1, 1914.
The Benin Expedition of 1897 was a punitive one by a British force of 1,200 under Rear-Admiral Sir Harry Rawson in response to the defeat of a previous British-led pseudo-invasion force under Acting Consul-General James Philips (which had left all but two men dead).
On January 12, 1897, Rear-Admiral Sir Harry Rawson, commanding the squadron at the Cape of Good Hope, was appointed by the British Admiralty to lead an expedition to capture the Benin king and destroy Benin City.
The operation was named the Benin Punitive Expedition and on February 9, 1897, the invasion of the Benin kingdom began.

Rawson’s troops captured, burned and looted Benin City, bringing to an end the West African Kingdom of Benin.
As a result, much of the country’s artefacts, including the Benin Bronzes, were seized, destroyed, looted, and dispersed.

Many of these artefacts lie in the British Museum and other museums in the United States and Europe. #HistoryVille

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More from @HistoryVille

May 17
The largest church building in Africa, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro, is located in Yamoussoukro the capital of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

The basilica was constructed between 1985 and 1989 for an estimated $600 million. Image
The cornerstone was laid on August 10, 1985, and it was consecrated on September 10, 1990, by Pope John Paul II, who had just formally accepted the basilica as a gift from President Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Côte d'Ivoire on behalf of the Catholic Church.
Houphouët-Boigny chose his birthplace of Yamoussoukro to be the future site of the new capital city of his country in 1983.

As part of the plan for the city, the president wanted to memorialise himself with the construction of what he called the greatest church in the world.
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Apr 23
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III was the longest-reigning ruler of the kingdom since his great-grandfather, Oba Atiba Atobatele founded New Oyo in the 1830s.
A direct descendant of Oranyan (founder of the Old Oyo Empire), Adeyemi III was also a boxer before ascending the throne of his fathers after the Nigerian Civil War.
Crowned on November 18, 1970, while succeeding Oba Gbadegesin Ladigbolu I, Iku Baba Yeye, as he was known popularly, would rule for 51 years and 5 months. The longest reign since Alaafin Oluaso in the 1400s.
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Feb 19
CAN YOU DIE FOR LOVE?

On February 26, 2015, the body of a 26-year-old corps member, identified as Ernest, was recovered from his one-room apartment in Obubra, Cross River State of Nigeria after he reportedly committed suicide.
The young man, who was in love with a fellow female corp member, Chioma Okewuru, went berserk when the girl came back from her village over the weekend with a ring from a man she had promised to marry.
Ernest, who hailed from Edo State and an alumnus of the University of Benin, was posted to Cross River State in October 2014, where he met and fell in love with Chioma.
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Feb 16
Bashorun Gaa became the head of the Oyo Mesi during the reign of Alaafin Onisile. He was a brave and powerful man who was feared by the people of Oyo-Ile for his potent charms and supernatural strength. It was said that he had the powers to transform into any animal he wished. Image
Gaa was feared to the extent that he became more authoritative than the Alaafin who made him the Bashorun.

Gaa’s tyranny started in the days when Labisi was being prepared for the throne of Oyo. He killed the prince’s friends and silenced his supporters, thereby starting his...
...own rule, which he craftily did with the installation of puppet kings from whom he demanded homage. However, it was impossible for Bashorun Gaa to become the Alaafin as he bore no blood of Oranyan to claim the throne.
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Feb 14
MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY: HUSBANDS LOVE YOUR WIVES

American First Lady and wife of the 25th President of the United States, Ida Saxton McKinley (1847-1907) was epileptic and also suffered from mental depression until her death.
Suffering from epilepsy much of her life, she was totally dependent on her husband, President William Mckinley (1843-1901). Sometimes her seizures happened in public.

Nevertheless, the President responded to his wife's maladies with devotion and love.
President McKinley took great care to accommodate her condition. In a break with tradition, he insisted that his wife be seated next to him at state dinners rather than at the other end of the table.
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Feb 11
The Mbalatu women of Southern Angola and Northern Namibia are renowned for their incredibly long, braided hair which reaches to the floor. From the age of 12, the girls' hair undergoes a special treatment to drastically speed up hair growth. Image
First, they coat their hair in a thick paste made from the finely ground tree bark of the omutyuula tree mixed with fat. A few years later, this paste is loosened to make the hair visible. Fruit pips are then tied to the hair ends with sinew strings.
When girls reach the age of 16, long sinew strands that reach the ground are attached to the hair. In the same year, they undergo the Ohango Initiation ceremony, a living tradition with roots in the ancient past.
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