stolen benin artifacts panel
A call for the setting up of an
ALL STOLEN ARTIFACTS RECOVERY PANEL
To President Yar 'Adua,
By the Benin National Congress.
Rising from an emergency meeting in Benin City over the Congress resolve to pursue to its logical conclusion the case of alleged stealing, conspiracy and looting of the Benin Artifacts in the custody of Benin Museum between 1993 till date, the Congress wish to state unequivocally that it would not take responsibility for the “fall outs” of the protests that would erupt should the Minister of Culture and Tourism as well as the Presidency fail to take appropriate measures.
It would be recalled that following a long period of painstaking investigation into the alleged stealing of the most precious Benin artifacts in the custody of Benin museum, the Congress wrote a letter with reference number- Bnc|Ba|Bm|01|07, entitled “a case of stolen Benin Artifacts from the custody of Benin Museum” to the Director General, National Museum and Monuments dated Monday 30th August 2007. It was sent thru the Curator of Benin Museum who was also handed a copy by the Congress president and the Director of Action and Mobilization. The State Governor, Prof. Osarhiemen Osunbor, the Secretary, Benin Traditional Council, all elected National Assembly members from Edo South district were copied similarly. We have it on good authority that the concerned parties (particularly the Minister of Culture and Tourism) have received our letter.
The need to bring it to the notice of the general public is as a result of the alleged setting up of an in-house inquiry which is to say the least provoking, diversionary and a cover-up arrangement because it is a universal norm that a person or an agency cannot be a judge in its own case. We believe that only an independent panel of inquiry composed of sound minds can unravel the misery surrounding the stolen precious items. If the news in the grave vine is anything to go by, the suspected public officers have vowed that the Congress efforts would yield no fruit.
The issue of conspiracy leveled at the National Council of Museum and Monuments is premised on the ground that the reason for making Benin Museum a National Museum status (a center for artifacts from all over the country) is apparently for the purpose of stealing our artifacts or how else could one explain that the Benin museum which has not been reportedly robbed or invaded by armed bandits could be a victim of -------“Authoritative Stealing”. Whereas some Benin artifacts are scattered all over the country’s museums, some ethnic nationalities art works are stationed in their museums.
Ife Museum is a center for only Yoruba art works, same with the Igbo Ukwu, which houses only Igbo art works. The Congress is worried that having suffered and paid the price for the vehement resistance of the Colonization of the hitherto Niger-Area (now called Nigeria) which culminated to the British invasion of Benin Kingdom in 1897, which served the rare opportunity to loot the Benin treasury (Benin art works, gold and silver among others), the remaining precious items acquired by the federal Government through the Museum and Monuments act or Laws have been subjected to all forms of criminal tendencies. What an irony.
As we speak, Benin objects stolen in the last fourteen years or so from the custody of Benin Museum is in excess of ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. Right from the history of Benin Museum, there has been no reported case of stealing, burglary or robbery, so how come the original objects kept there are missing. The Congress wish to state that in as much as it is not calling for the retrieval of these items so that they would be kept in our secretariat, but we are consciously interested in them so that the old, young and incoming generations of Benin nation would benefit from the spirit of enculturation. If these items are not recovered, the claim that Benin ancestors or warriors did this or that would be a mirage or another “Tales By Moonlight” to the young ones. We shall fight on.
Comrade Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo – President – Benin National Congress.
Mr. Amadin Obasuyi - Coordinator - Benin Youth Congress (Youth Wing.)