10.11.2025
Protesters Sunday evening in Benin City, Edo State made their feeling known about the opening of museum that will house repatriated Benin Bronze Art works that were looted by British invaders in the 1897.
According to a 2023 law signed by former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, the Oba is the custodian of the museum’s artefacts. The current Oba is Ewuare II, who assumed the role in 2016.
The government went ahead to approve the construction the museum in Benin City that will welcome Benin artworks been returned from Europe and elsewhere. The museum is officially scheduled to be opened on Tuesday.
The museum is privately owned by MOWAA trust, a non-profit established in 2020 that receives funds from the state government, British museum, German museum, and grants from elsewhere
After Sunday’s commotion, the museum suspended further activities and asked visitors to postpone plans to visit the museum until the situation is clarified. It was not immediately clear if the opening on Tuesday was to go ahead or not.
Videos circulating online show more than a dozen young people rushing to the grounds of the multi-million-dollar Museum of West African Arts in Benin City, the seat of the famous pre-colonial Benin Kingdom.
They chanted in support of Oba of Benin, the city’s traditional ruler. Guests, including foreigners, were whisked away from the event. No one was reported hurt.
A statement from the museum said the former state government, under whose patronage it was established, has “no interest financial or otherwise” in the museum. Nigeria’s federal government said it was monitoring the situation in Benin City with “deep concern.” With agency reports
Benin Bronze works...returning home to protests.