Point of No Return Badagry — Attraction in Lagos State

Looked forward to seeing the beach and whatever tourist attractions were available there, but I was HIGHLY!!! disappointed. Only saw one gloomy, nasty, broken down and poorly erected structure with a confusing story. Also, saw a woman and her kid in a small shack selling drinks at exorbitant prices, a young guy selling coconuts, and a guy renting his horse out for a ride. The beach was dirty and looked completely deserted. There is so much that could be done here to make it vibrant and more of a tourist attraction, e.g an anchored ship in the ocean, paintings or sculptures showing what slaves went through at this point, beach front hotels for tourists who want to stay on the beach(mind you, there's more than enough space for several tens of hotels and beach recreation activities) etc🤔. There is a fishing community about half a kilometer down the beach, they wouldn't sell us freshly caught fishes, said market traders already paid for them😕. Still, I pondered on the slaves that past through here, the sadness, grief of never seeing your loved ones again, coupled with the sensation of seeing the roaring intimidating ocean for the first time, with all hope of escape or rescue gone! Some, were looking at their watery grave with no idea it was soon time to rest...

One of the most emotional parts of my trip to Badagry was walking the Route to the "Unknown Destination", famously known as the Point of No Return.

Before reaching the final stretch to the beach, I stopped at the Spiritual Attenuation Well. According to history, enslaved Africans were forced to drink from this well. The belief was that it erased their memories — of home, family, and identity — and made them docile, like zombies, unable to resist their captors. Standing there sent chills down my spine. You can almost feel the pain in the silence of that place.

The walk to the Point of No Return, across the sandy path and thick trees, was heavy. Knowing that this was the last piece of African soil many slaves ever touched before being taken across the ocean made it even more emotional. No one came back from there — hence the name.

It’s a place of sorrow, but also strength. A reminder that our ancestors endured what most cannot even imagine. If you ever visit Badagry, don’t leave without walking this path. You won’t see life...

The journey to the point of no returns begins at a jetty in Badagry from where you take a ferry ride across to the island of Gberefu. From the island, a 2km walk down the original path the slaves walked over 400 years ago takes you to the shores of the Atlantic ocean where the slaves are eventually shipped off to various continents around the world.

Along the path to the shores of the Atlantic ocean lies the original water well, called the attenuation well. Which was spelled by the slave masters. The slaves were made to drink from the well so they lose self- consciousness for about 3-4 months while being transported to their destination.

Till date, the attenuation well stands and no one dares to drink out of it.

At the shores of the Atlantic ocean, a post-colonial building is being built for tourism purposes. With magnifying viewing glasses to allow you to see far into the ocean.

There is a little shack there where you can get drinks and snacks, horse riding and the beach is beautiful and clean enough...