INTRODUCTION During the reign of Oba Ovonramwen, Benin City, the administrative centre of the kingdom of Benin (formerly Benin Empire) was invaded, looted and destroyed by the British. The attack on the kingdom was ostensibly response to the defeat of a previous attempt by palace knights. The main motivation however was for the English to finally put out of the way the legitimate kingdom and nation standing in the way of colonization of ‘The Niger Delta Region’, also termed ‘the South Protectorate’. The year was 1896, the European TransAtlantic Slave Trade was no longer profitable and its masters were all 7 of them vying to become colonial masters of African resources. The scramble was about to happen. The assault on Benin by British forces became known euphemistically as ‘The Benin Expedition of 1897’. Much of the art and ancient artefacts, including the now famous plaques, were either destroyed or looted by the British forces, and the long journey of the matter of the return of the s...