Various British commercial entities were in operation along the Niger river and the surrounding region from the early 19th century. In 1879, through the initiative of George Goldie, these British companies were amalgamated into the Royal Niger Company.

George Taubman Goldie, colonial administrator and architect of British colonisation of Nigeria.

Source: Hubert von Herkomer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

After a series of conflicts with native powers including the Ijebu Kingdom, Igboland, the Sokoto Caliphate, and the Aro Confederacy, British control of the region was transferred to the British Crown in 1900.