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City (pop., 2002 est.: 529,700), southwestern Nigeria. Located about 50 mi (80 km) north of Lagos, Abeokuta was established c. 1830 as a refuge from intertribal wars. It was the chief town of the Egba, who long maintained a working relationship with the British; not until 1914 was it incorporated into British Nigeria. The modern town is an agricultural and exporting centre.
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