Dahomey raids on Yoruba

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In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Dahomey (in present-day Benin) rose from being a vassal of the Oyo Empire to an independent, aggressive power. After Dahomey defeated Oyo in 1823, it turned eastward and began raiding Yoruba lands to seize people for the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and for local labor.

Dahomey attacked Yoruba towns near its borders, capturing civilians who were sold at slave ports like Whydah (Ouidah) on the coast. This brutality helped fuel Dahomey’s wealth and power as it expanded its influence into areas long associated with the Oyo and Yoruba peoples.

Two Yoruba kingdoms faced especially harsh eras: Ketou (Kétou) and Savè (Ṣábẹ̀ẹ́). Ketou was conquered in 1886; its king was killed and many villagers were enslaved and taken to Dahomey’s capital, Abomey. The French would later restore Ketou after conflicts with Dahomey. Savè endured repeated attacks, with its capital Ile-Savè destroyed in 1848 and again in 1855. A final Dahomean assault in 1885 ended Savè’s independence, and a Dahomey-aligned king was installed by Glélé; Savè accepted a Dahomey protectorate in 1894.

Yoruba resistance in Abeokuta (Egba land) was strong. Sodeke organized defenses and mobilized the people, later followed by his son Shodeke in the final stages, and Oshodi as a war chief. Madam Efunroye Tinubu, a major Egba trader, supported the defense by connecting Yoruba leaders with British merchants to obtain firearms and aid. British pressure against the slave trade after the 1840s weakened Dahomey, helping Dahomey shift toward palm oil exports and reducing slave raids.

The raids helped scatter Yoruba people across the Americas, and the capture of Ketou people fed Afro-Brazilian religious traditions such as the Ketu nation in Candomblé. Notable Yoruba captives taken by Dahomey include Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Cudjoe Lewis, Matilda McCrear, Redoshi, and Seriki Williams Abass.

By the late 19th century, Yoruba resistance in places like Abeokuta slowed Dahomey’s advance. European attention to ending the slave trade and changing colonial borders also reduced the raids, while Savè remained under Dahomey control as a protectorate by 1894.