Oba of Benin receives two looted artefacts after 125 years

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By FRANCIS ONOIRIBHOLO, Benin

After 125 years, two of the over 10,000 Artifacts loot­ed by the British Army from the palace of the great Benin Kingdom in 1897 were on Saturday re­turned to the ancient city of Benin.

Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, received the Cockerel valued at £2 million and the bronze head of an Oba valued at £500,000 from the Jesus College, Cam­bridge University and the University of Aberdeen, Scotland both in the Unit­ed Kingdom respectively.

Presenting the re­turned artifacts to the monarch at his Palace in Benin City, Nigeria High Commissioner to Britain Tunji Ishola, said they were at the palace on the express mandate of Presi­dent Muhammadu Buhari to personally present the items to the Oba of Benin.

According to the High Commissioner, “I must say I am here just for one assignment. I am directed by Muhammadu Buhari, the president of the feder­al republic of Nigeria. My assignment is very simple, to directly bring these ob­jects to Oba of Benin King­dom.That is the presiden­tial directive,” he said.

On the part of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, he said the military expedi­tion by the British was not a retaliation for the killing of some British soldiers as most of liter­atures would have people believe.

The Oba, whose speech was delivered by Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, said the truth is that there was a calculated and a delib­erately conceived plan to attack Benin for its terri­torial dominance and also for her treasures.

Ewuare said the result was a destruction of a civ­ilization which equalled or even surpassed that of the aggressors.(Sunday Independent)

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