Editing Ovonramwen (section)

===Punitive expedition===
On 9 February 1897, British forces under Rear Admiral [[Harry Rawson]] invaded the Kingdom of Benin and immediately began ravaging the kingdom as they made their way towards Benin City, committing numerous [[war crimes]] along the way. Fearing that he would be defeated, Ovonramwen began sacrificing slaves in the hope that the gods would have mercy on him. As they neared Benin City, British troops found sacrificial victims, both male and female, nailed to the ground with their bellies cut open in a cross shape and their intestines hanging out. This further inflamed the British troops against the Beni, leading to further atrocities by the expeditionary force. 

On 18 February Benin City was captured, with Ovonramwen having fled. He had left behind him a gruesome scene which, witnesses reported, "reeked of human blood". Numerous victims had been slaughtered in sacrifice rituals and thrown into body pits, including native porters from General Phillips' expedition. Some victims had been [[Crucifixion|crucified]], and the streets were filled with mutilated human remains (it is impossible to know for certain how many of these were killed during the expedition and how many were victims of the prior "bloody customs" which had been reported since 1892). The city was soon burned, possibly by accident, but not before the Oba's palace was looted. This led to the theft of the Benin Bronzes, thousands of metal plaques and sculptures belonging to the Oba intended to glorify him and his predecessors. Controversy over their return persists to this day. 

Ovonramwen remained at large until 5 August, when he emerged from his hiding place in the jungle to formally surrender to the British. He attempted to secure a pardon by offering to tell the British where he had buried 500 ivory tusks worth approximately £2 million, but the British had already found them. He was sentenced by the British to go into exile, after which slavery and human sacrifice were outlawed by the British (although they soon began using forced labour with conditions only marginally better than those under the previous system). Ovonramwen was exiled to Calabar, where he remained until his death in 1914. 
[[Category:List]]
[[Category:Male]]
[[Category:Early Modern Villains]]
[[Category:Deceased]]
[[Category:African Villains]]
[[Category:Nigeria]]
[[Category:Monarchs]]
[[Category:Mass Murderers]]
[[Category:Slaver]]
[[Category:Barbarians]]
[[Category:Destroyer of Innocence]]
[[Category:Mutilators]]
[[Category:Evil vs. Evil]]
[[Category:Cowards]]
[[Category:Egotist]]
[[Category:Wealthy]]
[[Category:Extravagant]]
[[Category:Fanatics]]
[[Category:Greedy]]