Looted Benin Artefacts: FG To Reap Where It Did Not Sow

By Ayodele Oni

The Federal Government has intervened in the simmering face off between Benin monarch, Omo N’oba Ewuare and Edo state Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki over the final destination of the would-be repatriated Benin invaluable artworks looted by British imperialists back to their owners.

In doing that, the FG, citing international best practices, is poised to reap where it did not sow.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced on Saturday that the looted 1,330 Benin artifacts to be returned to Nigeria by Germany, will be in possession of the Federal Government.

Apart from the fact that the Federal Government, according to the Minister, has the right to do so, Oba Ewuare had earlier pleaded with the it to take possession of the artefacts rather than their going to private hands as being canvassed by Governor Obaseki. The artefacts are the handiwork of the ancestors of the Bini Kingdom which were looted by Britain.

According to Alhaji Mohammed, “That is why the Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments have always involved both the Edo State government and the Royal Benin Palace in discussions and negotiations that have now resulted in the impending return of these antiquities.”

The Minister pointed out that in line with international best practice and the operative conventions and laws, the return of the artifacts was being negotiated bilaterally between Nigeria and Germany by international law as the authority in control of antiquities originating from Nigeria.

He noted that the relevant international conventions recognize that such monuments belong to nations and not to individuals or sub-national groups.

“For example, the 1970 UNESCO Convention, in its Article 1, defines cultural property as property specifically designated by that  Nation.

“This allows individual Nations to determine what it regards as its cultural property.

“Nevertheless, the Nigerian state – through the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments – has been working assiduously over the past years to repatriate our looted artefacts carried along our important traditional institutions and state governments,” he said.

Mohammed disclosed that the Federal Government is not only limiting the battle to repatriate the stolen Benin Bronzes, but also working on repatriating Ife Bronzes and Terracotta, Nok Terracotta, Owo Terracotta, the arts of the Benue River Valley, the Igbo Ukwu, the arts of Bida, the arts of Igala, Jukun among others.

He cited the Government’s efforts over the Igbo statues that were auctioned at Christie’s in the Year 2020, and the fact that we took the British and Belgian authorities to ICPRCP in 2019 over an Ife object as examples.

He assured the repatriation of the Benin objects are unconditional and would not be staggered.

“We agreed to have a definitive timeline for the repatriation of the artefacts because Nigeria is tired of an indefinite timeline.

“Therefore, we resolved that the agreement on the repatriation should be signed in December 2021 and the repatriation should be concluded by August 2022.

” I told the Germans that Nigeria is averse to attaching pre-conditions to repatriating the Benin Bronzes.

“These are our properties, do not give us conditions for releasing them. We, therefore, agreed that the release will be unconditional, neither will it be staggered.

“At the meetings in Germany, I insisted, and it was resolved that provenance research on the Benin Bronzes cannot and must not delay their return, since the origin of Benin objects is not a subject of dispute as such objects are only associated with the Benin Kingdom.

“Concerning recording the artefacts in 3D formats for posterity and academic sake under the ‘digitalbenin’ project, of which we are a part. I have told the Germans that this work of digitalizing the Benin Bronzes must not delay the return of the artefacts and that issues related to copyrights ownership and other rights over the digitalized objects will be discussed soon.”

Recall that the Oba of Benin and Governor Obaseki have had a disagreement over where to keep the artefacts.

While the Oba insisted the right place would be the Benin Royal Museum, as he claimed he has agreed earlier with the Governor, the Governor preferred that a newly registered private company be the custodian.

Feeling betrayed, the Benin Monarch, uncharacteristically, addressed a Press Conference and asked the Federal Government to take custody of the Artefacts. The Federal Government has listened to him, and confirmed it would.

Not a few people  see this as a loss to the Benin people, and hold both the Oba and Obaseki responsible for it. They wonder why both of them could not sort out the problem instead of going public, thus making the Federal Government to reap where it did not sow.