Germany To Return I,130 Looted Benin Bronzes To Nigeria
Nigeria’s Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said Nigeria has signed an agreement with Germany for the repatriation of over 1,130 looted Benin Bronze artifacts back to the country.
Mohammed disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Washington DC on Tuesday, after three museums in the U.S. repatriated 31 Benin Bronze artifacts to Nigeria.
He commended the German Government for that effort, adding that Nigeria is also getting positive responses from France and Mexico to return some of its stolen artifacts.
In 1897 during a British raid on Benin, the royal palace was torched and looted, and the oba (ruler) was exiled.
The British confiscated all royal treasures, giving some to individual officers and taking most to auction in London.
The estimated 3,000 objects eventually made their way into museums and private collections around the world.
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