Edge Of The World

The statue, known as  The Okukor, was stolen from the King of Benin in 1897. On January 4, the British delegation was ambushed outside a village by Edo warriors, apparently without knowledge of the Oba. Philips was slaughtered along with the entire British force - save for two men, Captain Alan Maxwell Boisragon, Commandant of the Constabulary of the Niger Coast Protectorate and Ralph Locke, District Commissioner of Warri. The incident became known as the 'Benin Massacre.' Days later Rear-Admiral Harry Rawson was appointed by the Admiralty to lead a force to invade the Kingdom of Benin and sack Benin City. In February, a force of around 1,200 Royal Marines, sailors and troops from the Niger Coast Protectorate Forces arrived in Benin. Master of Jesus College Sonita Alleyne and Prof. Abba Isa Tijani A Cambridge University college will hand over to Nigeria a sculpture that was looted by British troops in 1897, setting a precedent that will put pressure ...