Nigeria Reached Deal With Germany to Return 1,130 Stolen Benin Bronzes: Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Monday said Nigeria had signed an agreement for the repatriation of 1,130 Benin bronzes from Berlin in Germany.
Mr Mohammed during inauguration of The Art Hotel in Lagos, disclosed that the bronzes were looted from the ancient city of Benin in 1897, 125 years ago.

He assured Nigerians of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment toward recovering the priceless works of art.

“Let me restate our commitment to recovering our priceless works of art which were looted from our country. Our efforts in this regard have started to yield fruits. Last week, in Berlin, Germany, we signed the agreement for the repatriation of 1,130 Benin bronzes which were looted from the ancient city of Benin kingdom in 1897,” said Mr Mohammed.

He added, “This number represents the single largest repatriation of looted works of art anywhere in the world. There is no doubt that the return of the most coveted Benin bronzes to Nigeria will help to stimulate domestic tourism in our country.”

(NAN)