Amid the ongoing tension between the Edo State Government and the Benin traditional institution, the Benin Traditional Council has issued a public statement outlining its position and conditions for an amicable resolution.
The dispute has deep roots, beginning with the contentious issue of ownership over ancient artefacts looted from the palace of the Oba of Benin during the 1897 Benin Massacre by British colonial forces.
In April 2023, PUNCH Online reported that the FG issued a gazette for the recognition of ownership and custody of the repatriated Benin artefacts to Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II.
This was done to end the dispute between the monarch and the state government over the rightful custodian of the artefacts.
This was done through a Government Notice No. 25 in the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No. 57, Volume 110, dated March 28, 2023.
But the issue over ownership lingers.
BTC, in a Wednesday statement titled “Re: Plan for amicable resolution of conflicts between Edo State Government and the Benin Traditional Institution,” made available to the PUNCH Online through its lawyers, Prof Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN, and Prof Edoba Omoregie, SAN, stated that the Federal Government had settled the artefact ownership matter in favour of the Palace.
Here are the key points from the statement ¹:
– The Federal Government settled the artefact ownership matter in favour of the Palace.
– The dispute has deep roots, beginning with the contentious issue of ownership over ancient artefacts looted from the palace of the Oba of Benin during the 1897 Benin Massacre by British colonial forces.
– The Benin Traditional Council has issued a public statement outlining its position and conditions for an amicable resolution.
– The conditions include the abolition of new traditional councils in Edo South, restoration of the council’s statutory financial entitlements, and a commitment from the state government to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of the Benin Traditional Institution.
– The council also demands the withdrawal of the letter revoking the concession of the Oba Akenzua II Cultural Centre and its restoration to a suitable condition for its original purpose.
