The grand opening of the much-anticipated Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Benin City descended into chaos on Sunday after protesters stormed the premises, forcing the evacuation of guests and the suspension of all scheduled activities.
The museum, a multi-million-dollar cultural complex envisioned as a future home for the world-famous Benin Bronzes looted by British forces in 1897, became the epicentre of a heated dispute over ownership and control of the repatriated artefacts.
What was meant to be an exclusive preview for investors, artists, and international dignitaries turned violent when a crowd of demonstrators breached the museum’s heavily guarded grounds, chanting war songs and demanding that the facility be renamed the Benin Royal Museum.
Videos circulating online showed the protesters confronting foreign journalists, diplomats, and tourists, ordering them to vacate the site. The disruption prompted security officials to escort all attendees to safety.
In an official statement, MOWAA management confirmed that all guests were unharmed and that both the Monday preview and the Tuesday grand opening had been cancelled. The museum described itself as “an independent institution caught in the crossfire of local politics,” while expressing regret to the affected guests and pledging cooperation with security authorities to restore order.
Reacting to the development, the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy expressed “deep concern” over what it called a “national issue,” stressing that MOWAA and similar institutions play a vital role as “custodians of Nigeria’s history, identity, and collective memory.”
As tensions simmer in Benin City, observers warn that the confrontation underscores long-standing rivalries surrounding cultural restitution and heritage ownership, a debate reignited by the global movement to return Africa’s looted treasures.
