When Nigeria's Soldiers Refused to Fight: The 1914 Lagos Mutiny — Fexingo History

Description

In this episode of The History of Nigeria, Lucas and Luna explore a little-known but pivotal moment in early colonial Nigeria: the 1914 Lagos Mutiny. After the unification of Northern and Southern Nigeria under Governor-General Frederick Lugard, African soldiers in the West African Frontier Force — many of them veterans of earlier campaigns — refused to accept new terms of service that slashed their pay and benefits. The mutiny began among Hausa troops at the Bonny Camp barracks in Lagos and quickly spread, forcing Lugard to negotiate. We follow the soldiers’ grievances, the tense standoff with British officers, the role of interpreters and non-commissioned officers like Sergeant-Major Bello, and the aftermath that reshaped colonial military policy. Lucas contrasts this with earlier resistance movements like the Aba Women's War and explains why this mutiny has been largely forgotten. The conversation touches on themes of loyalty, colonialism’s broken promises, and the everyday acts of defiance that built Nigeria’s spirit of resistance.#LagosMutiny #1914 #FrederickLugard #WestAfricanFrontierForce #HausaSoldiers #BonnyCamp #ColonialResistance #NigerianHistory #MilitaryHistory #BritishEmpire #WarrantChiefs #SergeantMajorBello #Amalgamation #Lagos #ColonialNigeria #History #FexingoHistory #Nigeria #NigeriaHistory #BeninKingdomBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-nigeria-kingdoms-colonies-and-africa-s-giant-fexingo-history--6985098/support.