NCMM recovering over 1000 artefacts stolen from Nigeria — DG

Prof. Abba Tijani, Director-General, National Council of Museum and Monuments (NCMM) has said that progress is being made in the recovery of Nigeria’s stolen artefacts from Germany and other nations.

He revealed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) when he received a team of students and staff of the SDG-Graduate School, University of Maiduguri, on a courtesy call to his office on Monday in Abuja.

The students who are on a three-day study visit from the Centre for the Study and Promotion of Cultural Sustainability, University of Maiduguri, congratulated their former lecturer and former director of the centre on his one year in office.

NAN reports that Benin Bronzes, some of Africa’s greatest treasures looted in 1897 were being held in state and private museums in Germany among others scattered around the world.

Tijjani who has just completed one year in office recounted with satisfaction and gratitude to God some of the achievements made during the first year which included progress on the repatriation of the stolen items.

“During this first year we have witnessed the issue of repatriation, Nigeria has made attempt several times to request for our collections that where stolen from the country.

“Particularly during the Benin punitive expedition of 1897 when the Oba of Benin’s palace was ransacked and artifacts in the palace were taken away.

“They found themselves in different museums across the world particularly in Europe and America.

“The attempts to get this objects repatriated especially in the early 70s during the then Director-General Ekpo Eyo did not yield result as the British museum did not succumb to the request.

“And particularly the issue of the symbol for the FESTAC 77 that was requested and the British museum did not oblige.

“So this time around, we are able to engage our partners, where these objects are kept in the interest of museums across the world.

“Especially through the Benin dialogue group forum, which we have been engaging with to repatriate Benin artefacts that were stolen during that period.

“And finally Germany has succumbed and accepted to repatriate all the Benin bronzes and the possessions of our museums across Germany which is over 1000 artefacts.

“We have achieved this and we have been to Germany together with the honourable minister of information and culture, and we have negotiated.

“We have agreed the timeline that these objects will finally start coming to the country from July 2022, so this is a landmark achievement,” he said.

Tijani said as a result of the progress made with the artifacts in Germany, museums across the world were reaching out to negotiate terms of the return of artefacts in their possession.

He added that this had also motivated government to rehabilitate a number of museums which were in bad condition thereby enabling looters access to national treasures.

“So this is a landmark achievement and as a result of that other museums across the world are reaching out to negotiate terms of the return of these artifacts.

“We have also received a number of other artifacts one of them is the 600 years old Ife head, a terracotta head that was stolen from Nigeria.

“We were able to get it back from Netherlands, this was last year and we have also received some artifacts, Benin artifacts from private collections that were anonymously returned to us.

“We have now reached an agreement with Aberdeen to get the Benin plagues in their possession this October.

“And also we have also arranged for the repatriation of three artifacts from the metropolitan museum of art in New York.

“I will be visiting the US next month to take possession of these artifacts so in terms of repatriation, these are land mark achievements.

“But also at the local level, we are also able to rehabilitate a number of our museums that were in a very bad condition that made it impossible for visitors to have access to our collections,” he said.

Earlier Tijjani advised the students to be resilient and patient with the process, but be sure to put in their best as according to him “much has been given to then by the sponsors and to whom much is given, much is also expected”.

Miss Naomi Haruna and Dr Talatu Adiwu, Coordinators on the study visit thanked the Director-General for his constant support to them, the centre and the University of Maiduguri where he had been a lecturer.(NAN)