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Looted Benin Artifacts Worth £2.5m Returned To Oba Of Benin

Published

4 years ago

February 19, 2022

Looted Benin artifacts worth £2.5m at present market value were on Friday handed over to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, by the Nigeria High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Mr. Tunji Ishola, on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.

No fewer than 10,000 artifacts were said to have Been looted from the Benin kingdom in 1879 and scattered across different parts of the world.

The returned artifacts, comprising a Cockerel and an Oba Head were repatriated from Cambridge University, Jesus College and University of Aberdeen, Scotland respectively.

Formerly receiving the artifacts, Oba in Benin, Oba Ewuare II, whose speech was delivered by Prince Aghatise Erediawa, said the bronzes transend mere art, but “mostly of religious significance to us and these two bronzes will return to where they rightly belong.

While thanking President Muhammadu Buhari for taking keen interest in the repatriation of the bronze, the Benin Monarch appealed to those who are “genuinely interested in the cause should join us in the interest of peace, tranquility and the substance of our cultural heritage.”

Also speaking at the colorful former handing over, which took place at the Oba’s Palace, Benin, Mr. Ishola said he was directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to formerly and directly hand over the artifacts to the Oba, emphasizing that the artifacts all together value at £2.5m.

“I am given just one assignment to do here by President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, and the assignment is very simple. To directly hand over the artifacts to the Oba of great Benin Kingdom. This is the Presidential directive.

“I want to thank British Government for preserving the artifacts to still be in the same form they were when they were taken in 1897. Not only that, value has added to these artifacts. As at today, the Cockerel is value at £2m at Great Britain and it is brought back here. Oba Head also value at £500,000 at Great Britain, and it is also brought back here. We are still working to make sure many of them come back home,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, Director-General, National Commission for Mosuem and Monuments, Prof. Abba Tijjani said he was making efforts in his capacity as the DG to make sure artifacts, not only Benin’s but Nigeria are returned.

On the part of the Edo State government, Governor Godwin Obaseki, represented by the Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Monday Osaigbovo, said that they should liaise with the Oba of Benin to ensure the return of other artifacts to the palace of the Oba of Benin.

Related Topics:#Oba of Benin Looted artifacts

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Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

Headline

US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

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US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

Published

1 day ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”