France returns five stolen sculptures to Nigeria

The French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jacques Champagne Labriolle, who presented the statuettes to the Minister of Culture and Tourism Edem Duke in Abuja, said the return was aimed at fighting the illegal import of cultural goods into France.

He said the statuettes were seized in Paris in August 2010 by the Gennevilliers Office of the General Directorate of Customs and Excise as part of the French Customs’ watch and fight against the illegal transportation of cultural goods.

Jacques said that the artworks were illegally taken away from Nigerian territory. He said the analyses carried out by French experts revealed that the artifacts were stolen from Nigeria, adding that the five statuettes were very old.

“The oldest one dates back between 1400 BC and some 700 BC; this may be more than 3000 years from now and it belongs to the famous Nok civilization,” he said.The ambassador said the French Customs and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked together to ensure that the seized items were returned to Nigeria.