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The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, received 119 stolen artefacts from the Government of the Netherlands on Thursday.
Oba Ewuare attributed the successful return of the artefacts to divine intervention and thanked President Bola Tinubu and former President Muhamadu Buhari for their support and commitment.
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He said that Messrs Tinubu and Buhari ensured the artefacts were not looted for another round.
“There were groups in this country believed to be an international cartel that had all sorts of conspiracies to enable them to re-loot our artefacts,” he said.
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Oba expressed gratitude to the government of the Netherlands for working with them, adding that the gesture had reawakened the courage and morale of the Benin people.
He also praised the National Commission for Museums and Monuments director-general for his efforts in retrieving the artefacts.
Oba Ewuare used the medium to urge the youths to be resilient in adversity.
He emphasised that the return of the artefacts was a testament to the power of determination and prayer.
He prayed with the officials of the commission, while hoping that more artefacts would be returned in the future.
Earlier, the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Olugbile Holloway, stated that the commission and the Benin Royal Palace were working hard to ensure the return of other stolen artefacts.
Mr Holloway noted that the 119 artefacts were the largest number so far received of several stolen artefacts.
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Musa Ikhilor, pledged to collaborate with the federal government to improve the artefact storage.
READ ALSO: Stolen Artefacts: British police hold on to Ife Head stolen from Nigeria
The state government promised to build the necessary facilities to preserve the items.
The General-Director of Wereld Museum, Marieke Van Bommel, said the Netherlands has a policy to return what does belong to them.
She noted that there were more collections in Europe, but they were not under their jurisdiction.
(NAN)
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