King Jaja of Opobo was forcibly removed by the British colonialists because of his obstruction of commerce. He was a powerful African king and leader of the Opobo city-state in what is now Nigeria. He controlled much of the trade in the region and imposed taxes on European traders, which caused conflict with the British colonial government. As a result, the British military forcibly removed him from power and exiled him to the island of Saint Vincent in the West Indies.