Five terracotta sculptures smuggled out of the country in 2010 by a French national, have been returned to the Nigerian government.The artifacts, of Nok origin, which were found in the luggage of a French smuggler at a Paris airport, are believed to date back to around 2,500BC.

although their exact value has not been disclosed, the Nigerian tourism minister said it was a “big achievement” in the country’s campaign to recover its lost treasures from around the world.

“I feel extremely delighted,” said Edem Duke, who attended the ceremony to receive the sculptures from French embassy officials in Abuja.

Information Nigeria reports that the Nok culture is believed to have been highly advanced and appeared in Nigeria around 1000BC and went into extinction in mysterious circumstances around 500AD. Nok terracotta are mostly found in Kaduna state and Jos, north-central Nigeria.

More: http://channelkoos.com/index.php/news/3772-france-returns-smuggled-nok-terracotta-to-nigeria

Thief ole carry am come!