Benin Kingdom Takes Legal Possession Of Repatriated Bronzes

   Advertisement The Oba of Benin Oba Ewuare II on Monday received the legal documents of the deed of transfer of the return of … Continue reading Benin Kingdom Takes Legal Possession Of Repatriated Bronzes


This undated handout photograph received from the University of Cambridge on October 27, 2021, shows the elaborately carved cockerel, known as “Okukor”, which was handed over to a delegation of Nigerian officials during a ceremony at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge on October 27, 2021. A college at the University of Cambridge handed over Wednesday an African bronze looted from what is modern-day Nigeria over a century ago, in the first such return by a British institution. Chris LOADES / University of Cambridge / AFP

 

The Oba of Benin Oba Ewuare II on Monday received the legal documents of the deed of transfer of the return of the bronze cockerel and the Oba bronze head recently handed over to Nigeria in the United Kingdom.

The legal documents were perfected at the palace of the Oba of Benin when signatories to the documents appended their signatures in the presence of the royal family, traditional rulers from different parts of Nigeria, as well as friends and well-wishers of the Benin monarch.

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The Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK, Tunji Ishola, who also appended his signature, said he’s already in physical possession of the bronzes but according to English law, a deed of transfer was imperative.

The signed documents were eventually officially handed over to the Oba.

This comes as Oba Ewuare II marks the fifth anniversary of his coronation.