Forçados is a small town in

Burutu Burutu is a Local Government Area in Delta State, Nigeria. It lies on the coast of the Niger Delta on two sides of the Forcados River, a channel of the River Niger, upstream from the Bight of Benin. It has served as a link between river transp ...

LGA of

Delta State Delta is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South (Nigeria), South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named after the Niger Delta—a large part of which is in the state—the state was formed from the former Bendel State, on 27 August 1 ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. It is most noted for the Forcados River, which is a major navigable channel of the

Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitic ...

. The river starts about downstream from

Aboh Aboh or Abo,"Ibo, a district of British West Africa..." () is a city in Delta State of Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf ...

and flows through zones of freshwater swamps, swamps, and coastal sand ridges before completing its course to the

Bight of Benin The Bight of Benin, or Bay of Benin, is a bight in the Gulf of Guinea area on the western African coast that derives its name from the historical Kingdom of Benin. Geography The Bight of Benin was named after the Kingdom of Benin. It extends ea ...

. History reveals that Forçados and neighbouring

played a significant role in

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

era. The Portuguese built a slave dungeon in 1475, where slaves were kept before being exported to Europe and America. The Forçados slave wharf is one of the longest in Africa; it was built by the Portuguese in 1472, and renovated by

Royal Niger Company The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company chartered by the British government in the nineteenth century. It was formed in 1879 as the ''United African Company '' and renamed to ''National African Company'' in 1881 and to ''Royal Niger C ...

in 1886 when they took over the town. The Royal Niger Company built a prison in 1887 and it was the first in West Africa. The famous Forçados sea wall was built in 1616, also by the Portuguese, to protect their houses from flooding. The Portuguese also built a windmill in 1472. The abandoned Burutu sea port was built by the Royal Niger Company in 1887; it was the first modern sea port in Africa. The Forçados Infectious Diseases General Hospital, built in 1890, was the first in Nigeria and West Africa. Newly trained medical personnel from abroad began their first medical work in Forçados. The hospital still functions partially, renovated by

government. All the structures discussed are just a few of those built by the Portuguese and the British, who settled in Forçados and Burutu to do business. The structures discussed above and many more are still visible, but are fast decaying due to lack of maintenance by the government. Forçados was the administrative headquarters that hosted the Portuguese, and played a vital role in the colonial era in Nigeria. The community today has a total human population of approximately 2000 inhabitants, predominantly Ijaws, with fishing as their main source of livelihood.

See also