Sweden is expected to hand over about 40 Benin artefacts to the ancient Benin Kingdom as efforts to recover cultural objects looted during the 1897 British invasion gather momentum.
Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, disclosed this on Wednesday when Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), paid him a courtesy visit at his palace in Benin City.
The monarch said the handover would involve both the legal and physical return of the artefacts, describing the development as a significant milestone in the palace’s longstanding campaign to recover the kingdom’s looted cultural heritage.
“Tomorrow (Thursday) more artefacts are coming from Sweden that I said, as a result of our effort many years back,” he said.
Ewuare explained that the anticipated return followed years of diplomatic engagements, including initiatives he pursued while serving as Nigeria’s ambassador to Scandinavian countries.
He recalled proposing the presentation of Benin artworks to the royal families of Sweden, Norway and Denmark as part of efforts to draw attention to the kingdom’s cultural heritage and encourage the return of its looted artefacts.
The monarch said the recovery process had gained momentum, with more cultural objects being returned to their place of origin.
He pledged to sustain efforts to recover the kingdom’s cultural property, building on the initiatives of his predecessors.
Ewuare also expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, traditional institutions and other stakeholders for their contributions to the campaign.
Earlier, Marwa commended the artistic excellence and historical significance of the ancient Benin artefacts, describing their craftsmanship as exceptional.
“There are seven wonders of the world. Look at the eighth wonder here,” he said.
The NDLEA chairman said he was honoured to visit the historic palace and acknowledged the importance of preserving the kingdom’s cultural heritage.
Marwa was in Edo State for an assessment visit to the agency’s state command and to address the Nigerian Army’s Second Regimental Sergeant Majors Convention.
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Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers.
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She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category.
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