The igbo's formed the most unmovable opponent to British empire's interest in Africa, through the EKUMEKU, The British fought an unconventional war, something they were not used to .
The Fulani was easily defeated in 1903 when suttan attahiru died and Kano fell, after they had islamized the Hausa and made an in road into Yorubaland through Afonja.
Squabbles over the throne between KOSOKO and DOSUNMU provided the opportunity for the annexation of Lagos in 1865.weaker Yoruba Kingdom's had little strength to contain what was coming from British,At the end of oyo empire,it's power blocks in the Yamba in the capital at oyo-ilr battled for supremacy.
The British found it difficult to handle the igbo's and their Kith and kin . Irrespective of the fact that the igbo's have developed new states and flourishing settlement on the coastline as a result of the Lucrative slave trade, the British were resisted.
There were hundreds of stateless communities that flourished and traded among themselves. now let me make things clear about the western igbo's called Anions people. They were among the format that got in contact with the British colonialists,and resisted ferociously.
The Anions Igbo is the first to relocate with western due to their geographical location. Remember all travelled abroad through the waters.oppositions was strong enough in anioma land were series of wars were waged against the British.
The EKUMEKU who were well organized and whose leaders were joined in secrecy oaths , effectively utilized guerrilla tactics to attack the British. anioma youth from all parts of anioma lands created many problems for the British,but the British used forceful tactics and heavy armaments to prevail in their evil deeds.the EKUMEKU became a great source of strength for Igbo nationalism.withtge invasion of Ndoni in 1870 and bombardment of onicha-Ado in 1897,the stage was set for the EKUMEKU war that engulfed the white of western igboland.
The Royal Niger Company commanded by major testing engaged ibusa in 1898,and 1904,it was the people of owa/UKwunze against the British British in a war ,that W.E.B Crawford couoland requested for more arms to crush the western Anioma communities. Owa would once again engage the British in 1906,in a battle that S.O CREWE lost his own life in 1909,it was finally the turn of ogwashi-ukwu who matched the British. In this war the the British sustained many death records in 1880 Asaba was the headquarters of royal Niger Company. It became a district of the central Division of the protectorate of southern Nigeria in 1900 and 1906 Asaba also became a division of Benin province.
EKUMEKU TACTICS IN ARO
Besides the Aro British war in 1901-1902 the guerilla battle of EKUMEKU from Anioma communities lasted over 30years from 1883-1915 and it rattled the colonialists.it was all these that made the British to fashion out enduring tactics to divide the igbo's and their Kith and kin.The EKUMEKU instilled fear into the minds of the British colonialists and inspired upsprings, in Africa like Kenya Mau-Mau.

There are many history to be told about the people of IGBO and the British colonial masters