15th February, 2022
The Benin Traditional Council (BTC) on Tuesday said Oba Ewuare II will personally take the delivery of the repossessed artworks, Okpa and Uhunilao on Saturday.
The bronze casts, Okpa (meaning Cockrel) and Uhunilao (a bronze burst of an Oba), were looted from the Kingdom by the British government during the invasion of 1897.
They were however repatriated from Jesus College, Cambridge, England, and University of Aberdeen, Scotland, respectively, by Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Britain.
President Muhammadu Buhari had directed that the artifacts be returned to the custody of the Benin Palace, following the signing of the deed of transfer.
The Secretary to the Benin Traditional Council, Frank Irabor, in a statement on Tuesday, invited the general public to the palace to witness the handing over of the artifacts to Oba Ewuare II.
“The general public is hereby invited to join His Royalty Majesty in receiving the Benin bronze of Cockerel (Okpa) and the bronze bust of an Oba (Uhunilao) both from Jesus College, Cambridge in Britain and Aberdeen in Scotland respectively,” Irabor said.