Nigeria outraged by Britain’s retention of stolen artefacts, lauds Germany
The Nigerian government has spoken out against the retention of stolen artifacts sitting in British museums. The British colonialists had pillaged the artefacts, especially from the defunct Benin Empire after overrunning it.
Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, said he officially requested for the artifacts to be returned but the British authorities did not heed.Â
“I visited in July this year hoping that the success recorded with the Germans will nudge the British Museum to do what is right. But I met a brick wall. The British Museum and all those holding on to our artefacts must understand that repatriation is a cause which time has come, “Mohammed said on Tuesday when German officials handed over similar artefacts to its Nigerian counterparts.
Mohammed explained that many stolen “cultural objects are not mere art to us but the true essence of our being”
The minister applauded the German government for its action.Â
“We want to thank the heads of government and governments of the various German regions and their officials, as wellas the administrators of the regional museums in Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart; Leipzig and Berlin and all the other museums that have made repatriation possible,” the minister stated.
