Edo won’t fight Oba of Benin over returned artefacts, says Obaseki
Segun Adewole 12 July 2021 Kindly share this story: The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has said his administration won’t engage in “disrespectful exchanges” with the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, over stolen artefacts. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Secretary to the Edo State Government, Osarodion Ogie. This was in reaction to a statement issued by the Oba of Benin asking the Federal Government to temporarily take custody of 1,130 stolen Benin artefacts that are about to be repatriated from Europe. This is as the monarch stated that the rightful destination of the artefacts should be the Benin Royal Museum. The monarch said this following a statement issued by the Edo State Government which revealed that a “transformational” museum would be built in Benin to house the artefacts upon their return. Reacting, Ogie in the statement issued on Monday allayed fears of a conflict between the state government and the Oba of Benin, adding that Governor Obaseki will maintain h