Illo is a town in

Kebbi State Kebbi State (; Fulfulde: Leydi Kebbi 𞤤𞤫𞤴𞤣𞤭 𞤳𞤫𞤦𞥆𞤭) is a state in northwestern Nigeria, bordered to the east and north by the states of Sokoto and Zamfara, and to the south by Niger State while its western border ...

, Nigeria.

Pre-colonial history

Illo was one of the Northern Borgu Kingdoms, small but wealthy, and it fought a number of wars with its neighbors in the nineteenth century including the Samba War and conflicts with Gwandu of the

Sokoto Caliphate The Sokoto Caliphate (, literally: Caliphate in the Lands of Sudan), also known as the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fula jihads, Fulani jihads ...

.Adekunle, Julius. (2004)
Politics and Society in Nigeria's Middlebelt: Borgu and the Emergence of a Political Identity
'' Africa World Press, pp. 131-134.

Colonial era

1905 Borgu 1d local stamp with stamps of Northern Nigeria used on piece via Zungeru

In 1896 the French occupied Illo in response to the occupation of other towns in

Borgu Borgu is a region and former country split between north-west Nigeria and the northern Republic of Benin. It was partitioned between British Empire, Great Britain and France by the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. People of Borgu are known as B ...

by the soldiers of the British West African Frontier Force. Both countries were vying for control of trade on the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...

, but ultimately Illo fell into the British zone following the Anglo-French Delineation Agreement. Later the British Government divided Nigeria into Northern and Southern Protectorates and Illo became part of the

Northern Nigeria Protectorate Northern Nigeria ( Hausa: ''Arewacin Najeriya'') was a British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914, and covered the northern part of what is now Nigeria. The protectorate spanned and included the emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate ...

. British posts were established along the Niger River and at Jebba,

Zungeru Zungeru is a town in Niger State, Nigeria. It was the capital of the British protectorate of Northern Nigeria from 1902 until 1916. It is the site of the Niger State Polytechnic and is located on the Kaduna River. History Colonial history Acc ...

Lokoja Lokoja is a north-central city in Nigeria. It lies at the confluence of the Niger River, Niger and Benue River, Benue list of rivers of Nigeria, rivers and is the capital city of Kogi State. While the Bassa Nge, Yoruba people, Yoruba Oworo peopl ...

and Illo, and a mail route was established between them for communication with Britain."Northern Nigeria: The Illo Canceller and Borgu Mail" by Ray Harris in ''Cameo'', Vol. 14, No. 3, Whole No. 90, October 2013, pp. 158-160.

References

Populated places in Kebbi State {{Kebbi-geo-stub