Seriki Williams Abass was born originally at a town in Yorubaland called Ijoga Orile. The town is in todays Ogun State in South West Nigeria. Ijoga Orile is not far from Ilaro and Abeokuta.
His birth name was Faremilekun and his father’s name was Fagbemi. He was captured by the Dahomeans and became a slave at the age of six years old.
The country called Benin Republic today used to be known as Dahomey. The name Dahomey was changed to Benin Republic in 1975.
Seriki Williams Abass of Badagry’s journey as a slave began in Dahomey.
His first owner in Dahomey was called Abass. His first owner (Abass) in Dahomey was an Islamic scholar and a slave trader.
Abass in Dahomey later sold him to an European slave trader by the name of Williams. Faremilekun, the son of Fagbemi became known as William Abass because slaves bear their owners name. The first thing that was taken from a slave was his identity.
A slave does not have a name. Slaves bear their owner’s name or the name their owners give to them or called them. Faremilekun took the name of his two masters, namely Abass and Williams. He became known as Williams Abass.
Mr. Williams brought him as a slave from Abass and took him to Brazil. There in Brazil, Mr. Williams realized that there was something unusual about him. So, he refused to resell the boy and took him to his house and made him a domestic slave while he sold his other slaves.
Domestic slaves work in their master’s house while plantation slaves work on the farm. Mr. Williams, the European, treated him well and taught him (Faremilekun a.k.a. Williams Abass), how to read and write.
The boy himself was so intelligent to the extent that he learnt how to speak English, Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish through Mr. Williams and his friends in Brazil.
The Statue of Seriki Williams Abass is, as a mark of respect, mounted at Aiyetoro roundabout near Abeokuta.
Seriki Abass also ruled Badagry for 24years, founded Aiyetoro and Idogo in the Yewa area of Ogun state.
