The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, on Friday, warned that anyone, group, organisation, or government dealing with any organisation or artificial group in the process of returning the looted artefacts from the Benin kingdom would be doing so against the will of the people of Benin kingdom. Oba of Benin declared that the artefacts stolen from the Benin palace during the 1897 invasion of the then Benin Empire, known in history as the Benin Massacre of 1897, remained the property of the Benin people as represented by the palace. The Oba stressed that there was no alternative native authority and custodian of the cultural heritage of the Benin kingdom outside the Oba of Benin as constituted by the Royal Palace. “They are not the property of the state government or any private corporate entity that is not a creation of the Benin kingdom. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…Benin stolen artefacts Benin stolen artefacts

Source: Nigerian Tribune July 09, 2021 17:48 UTC