A member of the Benin Traditional Council, Chief Osaro Idah, has asked the Federal High Court to restrain MOWAA and the NCMM from operating any museum in Benin City without the Oba’s consent.
Chief Osaro Idah, a member of the Benin Traditional Council, has filed a suit asking the Federal High Court to stop the promoters of the Museum of West African Contemporary Culture and Arts (MOWAA) from establishing or operating any museum in Benin City without the consent of the Oba of Benin, citing the Federal Government’s Order No. 1 of 2023 which he says recognises the Oba as “the sole custodian of the culture, tradition and heritage of the Benin Kingdom” and vests custody of repatriated artefacts in him.
The suit seeks several declarations, including that MOWAA cannot hold or display Benin artefacts or use the Oba’s name or symbols “without the Oba’s consent,” and argues that moving artefacts to a private museum is “very provocative, confrontational and calculated to undermine the lawful authority of our monarch.”
Chief Idah further states that the artefacts “are not the property of any private corporate entity” and that attempts to divert them to MOWAA contradict both federal and Edo State positions restoring full rights to the Oba over all Benin heritage items.
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