THE University of Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has postponed the return of more than 100 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria after a presidential decree named a royal ruler as the owner and custodian of all returned artefacts.
Nigeria has been on a quest to retrieve thousands of intricate bronze sculptures and castings that were looted by British soldiers during a raid on the Kingdom of Benin in 1897.
The official gazette, signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 28, said the Oba of Benin was the rightful owner of all returned Benin Bronzes and was responsible for managing all places where the artefacts were kept. The University of Cambridge’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology had planned to return 116 artefacts this month, but this was put on hold after the decree started circulating last month.
Abba Isa Tijani, Director General of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, said the commission had signed agreements to return looted artefacts, including from Cambridge college and Germany in the past. However, the gazette is not clear on some issues and the commission wants clarification to find out which body is responsible for the signing of the agreement to repatriate the artefacts.
‘It is postponed because the gazette is not very clear on some issues and we wanted to clarif
y to find out which body is responsible for the signing of the agreement [to repatriate the artefacts],’ Tijani said.
The spokesperson for the Oba’s palace could not be reached for comment, but the palace has pr
eviously said it plans to build a museum to house returned artefacts. There have also been questions about whether Nigeria has the capacity to safely keep artefacts returned from abroad.
