Nigerian president demands return of looted artifacts from abroad

Abuja, Nigeria | Xinhua | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday appealed to nations, international institutions, and private and public bodies to return the country’s looted artifacts.

Buhari’s appeal came after Saturday’s return of two Benin bronzes pillaged by British troops.

The bronzes were repatriated from the University of Cambridge and the University of Aberdeen, 125 years after they were taken out of the territory of present-day Nigeria.

These artifacts are among Africa’s most important heritage objects, which colonizers and explorers stole from the once-mighty Benin Kingdom, now southwestern Nigeria, to Europe.

Buhari pledged that the government would vigorously pursue the repatriation of the Nigerian artifacts, urging other countries to take a cue from the institutions which recently returned the Benin bronzes.

“The government would ensure that they are put to good and proper use on their return in museums and other facilities in conjunction with the royal families and kingdoms that lost these artifacts,” he said.

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Xinhua