Metro

US Museum Returns Two Benin Bronzes To Nigeria

Published

6 months ago

November 18, 2025

The Museum of Fine Arts in the US city of Boston has returned two of the famed Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, authorities in the West African nation said late on Monday.

The move represents “the return of a huge part of Nigeria’s history,” Olugbile Holloway, the head of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), said.

“As much as this occasion is symbolic to Benin, it is also symbolic to Nigeria’s struggle,” he added.

The Benin Bronzes are hundreds of sculptures and plaques that were looted from the royal palace in the Kingdom of Benin, part of modern-day Nigeria, after British forces captured Benin City in 1897.

The priceless artworks, believed to have been crafted in Benin starting in the 1500s, were taken as spoils of war and today are scattered in museums and private collections across the world.

Western museums, including those in Britain, the Netherlands and Germany, have returned several hundred of the artefacts, but hundreds more are believed to be still missing.

Benin’s traditional rulers and Nigerian authorities have for years been negotiating their return.

Calling the returns from the Boston museum a “historic moment”, Nigeria’s culture minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, said those “conversations” were ongoing “and soon, the process of returning them all to their rightful owners will begin.”

The Benin Bronzes have been a source of tension within Nigeria, with Benin’s traditional ruler, the Oba, insisting that the artefacts belong to him as the ruler of Benin and the descendant of the royal family from whose palace they were plundered.

Last week, Britain and South Africa returned to a Ghanaian traditional king over 130 gold and bronze artefacts taken between the 1870s and the early 20th century, his palace announced.

Asante king Otumfuo Osei Tutu II received the artefacts at the Manhyia Palace Museum in the Asante capital Kumasi on Sunday, a royal statement said.

The items included royal regalia, drums and ceremonial gold weights and depict governance systems, spiritual beliefs and the role of gold in Asante society.

Their return comes as pressure mounts on Western museums and institutions to address the restitution of African artefacts plundered by colonial powers such as Britain, France, Germany and Belgium.

At the ceremony, the Asante king thanked AngloGold Ashanti, a South African mining company, for returning several items purchased on the open market. The mining giant returned some artefacts to Ghana in 2024.

The latest repatriation included 110 artefacts from the Barbier-Muller Museum collection in Geneva, assembled by collector Josef Muller in 1904.

Twenty-five other items were donated by British art historian Hermione Waterfield, who established the Tribal Art Department at Christie’s in 1971.

According to art historian and Manhyia Palace Museum director Ivor Agyeman-Duah, Waterfield’s gifts included a wooden drum believed to have been seized during the 1900 siege of Kumasi by British forces.

In 2024, the Manhyia Palace Museum received 67 restituted or loaned cultural objects from institutions including London’s British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum and the Fowler Museum in Los Angeles.

Metro

Police Arrest Mother, Daughter Over Alleged N18m Romance Scam

Published

2 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, NPF-NCCC, have arrested a woman and her daughter over their alleged involvement in a romance scam that reportedly defrauded a Malta-based victim of more than N18 million.

The police disclosed that the arrests followed investigations into allegations bordering on computer-related fraud, identity theft, and money laundering after receiving intelligence from the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU.

In a statement issued by the Acting Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Uwana Imah, the suspects were identified as 39-year-old Urowhe Diana and her 22-year-old daughter, Rokibat Oluwasheyi Imoru.

According to the statement, preliminary investigations revealed that a Lagos resident identified as Emmanuel Amanfo, who is currently at large, allegedly collaborated with Rokibat Oluwasheyi Imoru to open and operate multiple bank accounts used in carrying out fraudulent transactions.

“One of the victims was identified as a resident of Malta whose identity has been withheld,” the statement said.

The police further disclosed that proceeds from the alleged romance scam were transferred through money transfer operators and direct deposits into several Nigerian bank accounts belonging to Rokibat Oluwasheyi Imoru.

Investigators also alleged that the funds were later moved into an Ecobank account owned by Urowhe Diana, where the money was allegedly spent.

According to the statement, forensic analysis of the suspects’ digital activities allegedly linked both mother and daughter to the cybercrime operation, leading to their eventual arrest.

The police added that efforts were ongoing to apprehend Emmanuel Amanfo, who was described as the husband of Urowhe Diana and stepfather of Rokibat Oluwasheyi Imoru.

“Investigation into the matter is still ongoing, and the suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations,” the statement added.

The Nigeria Police Force reiterated the commitment of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, to safeguarding Nigeria’s cyberspace and tackling cybercrime across the country.

The NPF-NCCC also urged members of the public to report suspicious cyber-related activities through its official online reporting portal and designated communication channels.

Metro

Edo Police Arrest Two Suspected Cultists

Published

20 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Police Command on Wednesday said two suspected cultists were arrested in Ohonre community, off Adolor College Road, Benin.

This was disclosed in a statement by the command Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, and made available to newsmen electrically.

Ikoedem said the arrest was possible due to operatives response to a distress report concerning the movement and gathering of some suspected cult members within the community.

The statement reads: “The Edo State Police Command has recorded another operational breakthrough following the swift disruption of a suspected cultists’ gathering in Ohonre Community, off Adolor College Road, Benin City.

“On 21st May, 2026, at about 19:00hrs, operatives attached to Ugbowo Division who were on surveillance patrol responded to a distress report concerning the movement and gathering of some suspected cult members within the community.

“Acting promptly on the information, the police team mobilized to the location. On sighting the operatives, the suspects fled in an attempt to evade arrest. The operatives immediately gave them a hot chase, leading to the arrest of two suspects identified as Victor Peter ‘M’, 21 years and Iyemoma Ogbewe ‘M’, 35 years.

“A search conducted on the suspects led to the recovery of one cut-to-size gun believed to have been in their possession for unlawful purposes.

“Upon investigation, the suspects confessed to being members of the notorious Maphite cult group. Efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend other fleeing gang members.”

She said the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, commended the swift response of the operatives and reiterated the Command’s resolve to deny criminal elements any opportunity within Edo State.

He further urged residents to continue providing timely and credible information to the Police, assuring that all reports would receive prompt attention.

Metro

Troops Eliminate Two Terrorists, Foil Pipeline Attack

Published

2 days ago

May 26, 2026

Editor

The Nigerian Army says troops have, in the last 24 hours, eliminated two terrorists, rescued four kidnapped victims and foiled pipeline attacks in a series of coordinated military operations across Taraba, Kogi and Rivers.

This is contained in operational updates issued to reporters on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to the reports, troops of 93 Battalion deployed at Akate in the Donga Local Government Area of Taraba engaged suspected terrorists in a forested area, killing two of them.

According to the report, items recovered from the scene include an AK-47 rifle, ammunition, magazines, mobile phones and other personal effects.

In Kogi, it said the troops of 21 Battalion, in collaboration with vigilantes, rescued four kidnapped passengers along the Anyigba–Itobe road in Ofu Local Government Area.

It added that the victims were reportedly abandoned by their captors while attempting to cross a seasonal stream due to sustained pressure from advancing troops.

According to the military, efforts are ongoing to rescue other victims still in captivity.

The report said that troops of 12 Brigade successfully repelled an ambush along Kabba–Okene road while withdrawing from an earlier operation, forcing the assailants to flee with gunshot wounds.

“Meanwhile, in Rivers, troops of 5 Battalion acting on credible intelligence, foiled an attempt by suspected vandals to detonate a crude oil pipeline in Ahoada West Local Government Area.

“The swift response of the troops disrupted the operation before it could be executed, with the suspects fleeing the scene,” it said.