Officials Return Precious Stolen Artifacts to India and Nigeria

Precious artifacts from Nigeria have finally been returned to their rightful owner.

In a ceremony last week, the University of Aberdeen handed over a Benin Bronze to a Nigerian delegation that was one of the thousands that British troops stole in 1897. 

That makes this the third European institution in two days to return cultural artifacts to their African homelands.

The sculpture represents the head of an Oba, or king, of the once-mighty Kingdom of Benin, located in what is now Nigeria.

The bronzes stolen from their royal court are among Africa's most significant pieces of art-marking history. And most of them are found in Europe.

The University of Aberdeen acquired the bronze head at an auction in 1957. Following a recent review of its provenance, which confirmed it was one of the looted items, the university contacted Nigerian authorities and offered to hand it over.

This is similar to U.S. officials returning 250 artifacts to India at the Indian consulate in New York City after a lengthy investigation into a stolen art scheme.

These items are worth an estimated $15 million. One centerpiece is a bronze Shiva Nataraja, valued at $4 million alone.

The ceremony stems from a sprawling probe by the Manhattan District Attorney's office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

The investigation focused on tens of thousands of antiquities allegedly smuggled into the United States by a dealer who denied allegations that he took treasures from India and Southeast Asia. 

Investigators recovered 2,500 artifacts valued at $143 million and convicted six co-conspirators.

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