Anglo-Afikpo War, 1902-1903

Abstract

This paper "Anglo-Afikpo War, 1902-1903", discusses the war that pitted the traditional Afikpo warriors against the British colonial force. The paper argues that the Anglo-Afikpo War of 1902-1903, has not received adequate scholarly attention and has not been addressed in military history context. It is in the light of the above that this research addresses the war battles as well as the British conquest of Afikpo within the period: 1902-1903. The findings reveal that there were actual war plans by the belligerent parties taking into consideration: mobilisation, battle order, weaponry, strategy and tactics. The paper concludes that Afikpo did not lose the war as a result of the British military superiority, but as a result of the indigenous allies of the British colonialists who sabotaged Afikpo people's war efforts and designs. The reason for this argument is that regular European forces with military superiority have suffered defeat in the hands of irregular African forces with crude or primitive weapons as was the experience in the battle of Adowa in 1896 among other instances. The paper relied on primary sources of different kinds such as oral interviews and archival documents among others, and on secondary materials such as unpublished works, books and journals. The study adopted the descriptive and analytical pattern of historical research.