King Pepple imprisons British supercargoes at Bonny

In 1844 King Pepple of Bonny, faced with systematic evasion of treaty obligations by British traders and with mounting arrears of trust (credit) owed to him by supercargoes, imprisoned several British supercargoes. The action was a direct assertion of his sovereign authority to enforce contractual obligations. British naval intervention secured the supercargoes' release, and the incident intensified British hostility toward Pepple.