Vlekete Slave Market

Vlekete slave market was established in 1502 and served as a meeting point for European slave merchants, African middlemen and slaves brought from Hinterlands for auctioning. Vlekete slave market was one of the slave markets in Nigeria and the other was situated in Calabar- The Eyon slave market where slaves were also auctioned, but Vlekete slave market in Badagry was the largest and most populated. The market used to be opened for business every 2 days and nothing less than 900 slaves were sold from this very slave market per week. Slaves were auctioned for mere commodities like iron bars, mirror, cotton, dry gin, whisky, cannons, gunpowder, gun and other assorted spirits. It was recorded that a cannon was used in exchange for 100 slaves while a dry gin in exchange for 2 able bodied men.

When slaves were auctioned by different slave merchants, all slaves will be marched down to their various cells in different part of Badagry usually along the coast, where they remained for 3 months under terrible conditions, chained from head to toes. Minimum number of 40 slaves was kept in a cell.Slaves auctioned by the Brazilians for example from Vlekete slave market in Badagry will be marched to the Brazilian slave baracoon {cell} which now happened to be the only existing slave cell out of the cells built by foreign slave merchants.In the baracoon {cells} they were kept for three months and after this they were branded by using a very hot iron in writing the slave owner’s name at the back of slaves he purchases and after this they were marched down to the slave route port.The Brazilian slave baracoon {cell} has about 40 cells in all.

The slave market house a shrine called Vlekete and some of the Europeans were tried there after the abolition of slave trade. It was recorded that about 18 million people were sold from this market for the 400 years that slavery lasted.

The First Storey Building in Nigeria

The first storey building in Nigeria is located at Boekoh quarters in Badagry. It was built by Rev. C.A. Gollmer as the CMS vicarage head in June 1845.

It was in the building that Bishop Ajayi Crowder translated the English bible to Yoruba bible in 1846.

The Agia Tree Monument

The gospel of Christ was preached for the first time in Nigeria under the legendary Agia Tree that lived for about three hundred and fifty years. The tree stood at the heart of Badagry town, beside the present Badagry Town Hall.

It was recorded in history that the first Christmas celebration in Nigeria took place under the Agia Tree on December 25, 1842 at Badagry.

The tree fell on 20^th June, 1959 by 11.45 p.m. A Cenotaph now stand in its place.

Brazilian Slave Barracoon

The structure is located opposite the Slave Port, within the Seriki Abass compound and was declared a national monument in 1940. It was built by Brazilian slave dealers in 1847.

The Barracoon was the store where slaves were kept before the arrival of European slave ships. It is now a mini-museum that displays varieties of transatlantic slave trade artifact.

The First Primary School in Nigeria

The First Primary School in Nigeria was established in 1845 within the premises of the First Storey Building in 1845 and was called Nursery of the Infant Church. The school has been moved from the premises of the First Storey Building to its permanent site at Posukoh quarters and its name changed to St. Thomas’ Anglican Primary School.

Slave Route

The slave route is the path the slaves were driven through between 16^th and 19^th Century. It is about twenty minutes’ walk from the Gberefu Jetty to the sea shore called “Point of No Return” where slaves boarded ships to unknown destinations.

The slaves were forced to drink from a sacred well; SLAVE SPIRIT ATTENUATION WELL which still stands till date. The well was believed to make them less aggressive and lose their memories.

It is located at Gberefu Sea Beach across the lagoon, directly opposite the Badagry slave port.

Mobee Family Museum

The museum is situated at the Mobee family compound in Boekoh quarters in Badagry. It consists of the relics used during the slave trade between 16^th and 19^th century.

The Mobbe family was able to assemble the artifacts in the museum due to the acknowledged roles of their ancestors in slave trade and its abolition.

Late C.D. Akran’s Palace

The beautiful Brazilian architectural masterpiece was the palace of King (Aholu) who reigned and died in June, 1974.

The District Officer’s Office (Badagry Heritage Museum)

The building was formerly known as the District Officer’s Office. It was constructed in 1863 by the British Government. Henry F. Pilkington Esq. was the first District Officer posted to Badagry in 1865. The building was converted into a museum in the year 2002and bears the name ‘Badagry Heritage Museum’. The Museum contains collections on the history of slave trade between Africa, Europe and North America.