According to Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Nigeria and Germany have signed a contract for the return of more than 1,130 looted Benin Bronze artifacts.
Mohammed revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Washington, DC, following the return of 31 Benin Bronze relics to Nigeria by three American institutions.
He praised the German government for making the effort and added that France and Mexico are also responding favorably to Nigeria’s request for the return of some of its stolen treasures.
The royal palace of Benin was set on fire, robbed, and the oba (ruler) was sent into exile during a British raid in 1897.
All royal riches were seized by the British, who distributed some to specific officers and auctioned off the majority in London.
The estimated 3,000 items ultimately found their way into private and museum collections all around the world.
The minister argued that, contrary to what the British Government had asserted, the world had realized that returning the antiquities to their rightful owners was an ethical and moral issue.
“I was also in the British Museum to beg them to return thousands of the artifacts in their care, so it’s crucial that they comprehend this and that the British Government is aware of it.
The typical reaction is that they are unable to modify the status until the British Parliament takes action.
“The United States and Germany are finally understanding that this issue is not one of law but rather of morality, or acting in the proper way. I’m hoping that the British government will follow suit and take note of what the other two nations have done.
He claims that on November 28, Nigeria and the British Government will sign a deal committing Nigeria to returning roughly 86 more artifacts from various UK museums.
The minister told NAN that the current administration’s effort, which was initiated in November 2019, for the return and restitution of Nigeria’s looted and smuggled antiques from throughout the world was showing promising signs of success.
He said that in January, Nigeria and the U.S. inked a bilateral cultural property agreement to stop the illegal import of particular types of Nigerian artifacts into the country.
This pact “confirms our joint commitment to prevent looting and trafficking of the priceless cultural property while also establishing a framework for the recovery of trafficked cultural goods, thus diminishing the incentives to loot sites in Nigeria.
Mohammed stated that returning the stolen artifacts was crucial for preserving the cultural significance of those pieces of art and that Nigeria would continue to step up its efforts for their return.
The minister claimed that the circumstances surrounding their removal from Nigeria were punitive and that there has been a new movement, or trend, worldwide calling for the restitution of stolen antiquities to their rightful owners.
“Many art enthusiasts fail to recognize that these objects are intrinsically linked to our history and go beyond their aesthetic value.
“Social life is a part of our culture, therefore it’s only reasonable to reciprocate.” It is moral to do so since it will help young people better grasp their history and culture.
Some of these stolen cultural relics are employed in rituals like the installation of a new oba (king). They are occasionally used as calendars to mark communal activities, he added.
The minister added that plans were being made by the Nigerian government to create traveling exhibitions of the returned items.
The National Commission for Museums and Monuments of Nigeria will launch international traveling exhibitions very soon, in collaboration with partners.
According to him, “We aim to start international traveling exhibitions with the relics being returned in a way that will win more friends and foster more goodwill and ethnic groups that produced the items.”
