Slave raiding in the twentieth century

Kaiqi Liu and Hannes Rusch
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Kaiqi Liu: RS: GSBE other - not theme-related research, Microeconomics & Public Economics
Hannes Rusch: Microeconomics & Public Economics, RS: GSBE other - not theme-related research

No 10, Research Memorandum from Maastricht University, Graduate School of Business and Economics (GSBE)

Abstract: Slave-making and trading lastingly shaped global demographics. However, no quantitative studies of enslavement as a day-to-day business exist. We address this gap using a unique dataset coded from the surviving records kept by notorious slave raider Hamman Yaji (c. 1863–1929). Spanning fifteen years and over 300 events, the data reveal whom Yaji targeted, how he timed his raids, and how destructive they were. Panel regression analyses show how Yaji’s decisions were shaped by political, military, ecological, and economic constraints on profit maximization. Situated in colonial eastern Nigeria, our results provide unprecedented insight into the microeconomics of slave raiding

Keywords: slavery; raiding; conflict; exploitation; Nigeria; Adamawa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D74 J47 N47 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-10-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:unm:umagsb:2026010

DOI: 10.26481/umagsb.2026010

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