Protesters disrupt opening of museum in Nigeria that was to house returned artifacts

Protesters successful Nigeria person disrupted the brushed motorboat of a new, state-backed depository successful the country’s southbound up of its scheduled opening this week, saying it was a usurpation of Benin City's taste heritage

LAGOS, Nigeria -- Protesters successful Nigeria disrupted the brushed motorboat of a new, state-backed depository successful the country’s southbound up of its scheduled opening this week, saying it was a usurpation of Benin City's taste heritage, which falls nether the authorization of its accepted ruler.

Videos circulating online amusement much than a twelve young radical connected Sunday evening rushing the grounds of the multi-million dollar Museum of West African Arts successful Benin City, the spot of a celebrated pre-colonial empire.

They chanted successful enactment of Oba of Benin, the city's accepted ruler. Guests, including foreigners, were whisked distant from the event. No 1 was reported hurt.

The museum, which is to officially unfastened connected Tuesday, was meant to location immoderate of the past Benin Bronzes — artifacts that were looted from Nigeria successful the precocious 19th period by British soldiers and scattered crossed the world.

Some person been returned to Nigeria implicit the past years arsenic museums satellite implicit determination to code ownership concerns. After disputes with the Oba, plans to show the returned bronzes astatine the depository were shelved.

After Sunday's commotion, the depository suspended further activities and asked visitors to postpone plans to sojourn the depository until the concern is clarified. It was not instantly wide if the opening connected Tuesday was to spell up oregon not.

The depository did not respond to requests for remark from The Associated Press.

A connection from the depository said the erstwhile authorities government, nether whose patronage it was established, has “no involvement fiscal oregon otherwise” successful the museum. Nigeria's national authorities said it was monitoring the concern successful Benin City with “deep concern.”

The depository is privately owned by MOWAA trust, a non-profit established successful 2020 that receives funds from the authorities government, British museum, German museum, and grants from elsewhere

According to a 2023 instrumentality signed by Nigeria's then-President Muhammadu Buhari, the Oba is the custodian of the museum's artefacts. The existent Oba is Ewuare II, who assumed the relation successful 2016.

The Nigerian authorities and activists person been calling for the instrumentality of the looted artefacts for decades. The artefacts person been trickling backmost and successful June, the Netherlands returned 119 of the bronzes to Nigeria — the largest repatriation to date.

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