OBA OF BENIN WARNS OBASEKI: You Cannot Have Financial Plans About Our Artefacts

BREAKING: Edo won’t fight Oba of Benin over returned artefacts, says Obaseki

The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has said his administration won’t engage in “disrespectful exchanges” with the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, over stolen artefacts.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Secretary to the Edo State Government, Osarodion Ogie.

This was in reaction to a statement issued by the Oba of Benin asking the Federal Government to temporarily take custody of 1,130 stolen Benin artefacts that are about to be repatriated from Europe.

This is as the monarch stated that the rightful destination of the artefacts should be the Benin Royal Museum.

The monarch said this following a statement issued by the Edo State Government which revealed that a “transformational” museum would be built in Benin to house the artefacts upon their return.

Reacting, Ogie in the statement issued on Monday allayed fears of a conflict between the state government and the Oba of Benin, adding that Governor Obaseki will maintain his immense respect for the monarch.

The statement read, “The attention of the Edo State Government (EDSG) has been drawn to the widely publicised media statement issued by the Palace of His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II.


Don’t allow Obaseki to take custody of 1,130 stolen artefacts, Oba of Benin urges FG.

On Friday, 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.

‎ Oba Ewuare II gave the warning at a meeting with Palace Chiefs and Energies (Dukes) on the repatriation of the looted artefacts, against the background that Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State had initiated moves to have the proposed returned artworks housed in a new museum to be known as Edo Museum of West African Arts (EMOWAA), to be built by the state government and a private initiative.

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.

The Benin monarch, whose address was read by the Iyase of Benin, Chief Sam Igbe, narrated that shortly after his ascension to the throne, he had several discussions with Governor Obaseki on the plan for the Benin Royal Museum, and the governor expressed his readiness to work with the Palace to actualize the laudable wish of the monarch’s late father, Oba Erediauwa.

He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to take custody of the artefacts on behalf of the Palace until the Benin Royal Museum is ready for their collection.

The Oba further warned that “Under no circumstances should custody of our age-old artefacts be handed to any privately contrived entity like the Legacy Restoration Trust.”

He noted that the advocacy and demands for the return of the artefacts looted from the Benin Kingdom in 1897 have been going on for decades before the emergence of the incumbent Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, even as he thanked the governor for joining the struggle and showing commitment to retrieve the stolen cultural heritage from Europe.