Brazilian returnees were given Free Lands in Lagos, Yorubaland

After slavery was abolished in Cuba and Brazil in 1886 and 1888, respectively, The Brazilian returnees were given free land by the indigenous community to resettle with their families; the land was provided by Oba Ojulari and other Yoruba landowners.

Most of the returnees were descendants of groups such as Ijeshas, Oyos, Ijebu, and Egba, etc. Egba People were specially given a large tract of land from Oyingbo and Ebute Metta to areas before Yaba. Most of the returnees got free land allocations on Lagos Island.

These returnees were popularity known as Saros, Amaros, or Aguda. Also,  many of these returnees have foreign names within Yorubaland, apart from families like AlaKija, who changed the original Portuguese family name from Assumpção to ‘Ala Kija', denoting that their roots were from Ikija, a place in Abeokuta. You will hear names like Da Silva, Da Rocha, Savage, Joaquim, Vera Cruz, Soares, Trezises, Pereira, Pineirho, Martinez, Marinho, etc.

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