The Nigerian government has issued a new document for the Benin Bronzes held at the British Museum in London, following the theft controversy that engulfed the institution. The British Museum has one of the largest collections of Benin copper in the world, with more than 900 pieces, but removal from its collection is prohibited under the British Museum Act 1963. Tijani said the new minister for Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, will write to the British Museum and the British government within a few weeks to request that the jewels be brought back to Benin immediately. Peter Higgs, the chief curator of Greek and Roman art who has worked at the British Museum for 30 years, has been identified in the British press as the man accused of stealing valuable artifacts from the collection. exhibition. Higgs' family has denied the allegations against him.
Recent reports put the number of arrests at over 1,500; Earlier this week, Greek Culture Minister Lena Mendoni said that the evidence of the stolen artifacts supported Greece's claim to the Parthenon Marbles. Meanwhile, the so-called Benin Bronzes have become a touchstone for testing the desire of European museums to restore the looted heritage of Africa. After the British army violently destroyed the Royal Palace of Benin in 1897, at least 3,000 objects were scattered around the world. The Kingdom of Benin was incorporated into the British Protectorate of Nigeria, which became the independent Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1960. Earlier this year, the Benin Bronzes restitution saga took a new turn as the Nigerian government recognized the Oba of Benin (Oba Ewuare II) as the owner and custodian of the items looted in the late 19th century. The statement took the form of a presidential statement, published in the Official Journal.
"It's shocking to hear that the countries and museums that have been telling us that the Benin Bronzes would not be secure in Nigeria, have thefts happening there," Abba Isa Tijani, the director of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments, told Sky News. He added: "It is irrespective whether they are safe there. That is not an issue. The issue is that these are stolen artifacts, and they should be returned to Nigeria to the communities that they belong to." In May, Phillip Ihenacho, the director of the Edo Museum of West African Art in Nigeria, gave a different perspective on restitution. “As and when restituted objects may be entrusted to us, they will be welcomed as part of a much broader center, where they will be seen side by side with contemporary and Modern works of art to inspire the next generation of great West African creatives,” he said.
