Consul Beecroft exiles King Pepple of Bonny to Fernando Po

In 1854 Consul John Beecroft, acting on complaints from British supercargoes and in alliance with the anti-monarchist ex-slave faction led by Alali, forcibly exiled King William Dappa Pepple of Bonny to Fernando Po. Pepple was accused of obstructing trade and of tyranny. His removal without trial and without legal authority was widely noted as an illegal act; he subsequently sought and received £7,523 in British compensation for his "illegal detention" at Fernando Po, Ascension, and London.