Oba Of Benin Receives 2 Looted Artifacts From US

Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin Kingdom, on Monday, received two artifacts, a mother hen and a bronzen plaque from the University of Iowa Museum, United States of America.

Recall that the Benin palace was invaded in 1897 by the British colonialists and several artifacts were carted away in the process.

The Oba, while receiving the returned items in his palace, recalled that the immediate past-president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, made the ownership of artifacts very clear through his recent gazette before he left office.

The monarch, who was very elated over the return of the artifacts, alluded to some of the earlier ones returned to the palace which he said his forebears started the process but they were unable to accomplish the feat.

The royal father said what they were seeing as mere artifacts are not just mere artifacts rather they have a spiritual implications which the mere mortals cannot understand.

He further appealed to the political leaders to help preserve the traditions and customs of the land just as he said it should not be left to the traditional institutions alone.

Earlier, Mr. Cory Gundlach, a curator from the African Art, apologised to the Oba of Benin for using the artifacts as teaching materials in the university just as he also apologised on behalf of his other colleagues who have used the arts to teach thousands of students in the United States of America.

He assured the monarch of his determination to ensure that others that are kept elsewhere would be returned to their original abode.