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Opobo

Opobo (ōpōˈbō) [key], town, SE Nigeria, in the Niger River delta. It is a palm-oil collection center and has fishing and boatbuilding industries. Opobo was founded in 1869 by a group of immigrants from nearby Bonny led by Jaja, a middleman in the palm oil trade with Europeans. Opobo prospered, but Jaja antagonized the Europeans by hampering their trade. Jaja was deported by the British in 1887, after which Opobo declined.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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