Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, Oba of Benin has expressed excitement following the repatriation of 40 artefacts from the Swedish museum.
The historical treasures were among the thousands of priceless heritage objects looted from the Benin during the British punitive expedition of 1897.
The revered monarch disclosed this when the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), paid him a courtesy visit at his palace in Benin City, Edo State Capital.
Reflecting on the complex journey of recovery, Oba Ewuare II attributed the palace’s ability to thwart attempts to re-loot returned Benin artefacts to divine intervention.
”The way we battled these potential prospective re-looters of our artefacts was not by the power of man, but by the power of God Almighty,” the royal father said, emphasizing that the palace relied on spiritual guidance rather than human strength to protect its heritage.
Vowing that no attempt to divert returned treasures would succeed during his reign, the monarch noted that the restitution struggle predated his ascension to the throne, having been sustained across generations by his grandfather and father.
Oba Ewuare II recalled how his previous diplomatic service as Nigeria’s ambassador to Scandinavian countries—including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland—helped lay the groundwork for the current breakthroughs.
During his diplomatic tenure, he presented specially commissioned Benin artworks to European monarchs, including the Kings of Sweden and Norway and the Queen of Denmark, to deepen cultural ties and advocate for restitution.
He disclosed that Sweden is now set to hand over 40 additional Benin artefacts, with legal and physical transfer arrangements already underway.
Describing the development as a major triumph, the royal father stated that the restitution stands as a historic outcome of sustained diplomatic engagements and the palace’s unyielding campaign to bring Benin’s cultural legacy back home.
As legal and physical arrangements draw to a close, the return of these 40 treasures stands as a testament to strategic diplomacy and unyielding resolve.
More than just physical relics, their homecoming represents the restoration of dignity, history, and a royal legacy safeguarded across generations.
