The Swedish government is set to return 40 artefacts looted from the Benin Kingdom during the 1897 invasion and massacre.
A delegation from the Benin Palace, led by the Secretary to the Benin Traditional Council, Frank Irabor, is expected to receive the artefacts in Lagos State on Thursday.
The Benin Monarch, Oba Ewuare II, disclosed the development while receiving the Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.).
The monarch said the return followed years of negotiations and efforts by successive generations of the Benin royal family to recover the kingdom’s looted heritage.
He recalled that he first discussed the artefacts with the King of Sweden while serving as Nigeria’s ambassador to Scandinavian countries. He also said he had pledged that the recovered items would not be looted again.
Oba Ewuare II attributed the successful recovery efforts to the support of God and the ancestors, saying their intervention helped prevent plans to relocate the artefacts again.
He described the Swedish return as the outcome of efforts made many years ago and said more artefacts were expected from the country. He added that the recovery process was building on the work of his grandfather and father.
