“As you know, many of them are very old and fragile and need to be specially handled.”
Mr Tinubu congratulated the Benin paramount ruler for retrieving the stolen artefacts.
”I also want to appreciate the Federal Republic of Germany, which is planning the process of repatriating 1,130 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria from many of Germany’s public museums.”
There was a presidential directive to return the antiquities to the ancient palace of the Oba of Benin.
Let’s bring the artefacts home, where they belong.
Mr Mohammed’s disclosure comes in the aftermath of the controversy about who will take possession of the expected artefacts between the Oba of Benin and Edo state governor.
These artefacts were obtained during auctions, after Britain’s soldiers had seized thousands of metal castings and sculptures in 1897 during a raid on the Kingdom of Benin.
The university released a statement on Thursday saying that the bronze sculpture left the country in an “extremely immoral” fashion.
