| Akenzua II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Oba of Benin | |
| Reign | 1933–1978 |
| Coronation | 5 April 1933 |
| Predecessor | Eweka II |
| Successor | Erediauwa |
| Born | Godfrey Edokparhogbuyunmwun Aguobasimwin Eweka [1] 7 January 1899 Lagos, Nigeria |
| Died | 11 June 1978 (aged 79) |
Ọmọ n'Ọba n'Ẹdo Uku Akpọlọkpọlọ, Akenzua II (7 January 1899 – 11 June 1978) was the thirty-seventh Oba of Benin reigning from 1933 until his death in 1978.
Akenzua II was enthroned as Oba of Benin in April 1933 following the death of his father, Eweka II (r.1914 – 1933) in February that year.[2] Oba Akenzua II was dedicated to the provision of western education for his subjects, the Edo people.[1]
In 1936, he began the movement to return to Nigeria the Benin Bronzes looted from the royal compounds and ancestral altars in the punitive Benin Expedition of 1897. During his reign, only two of the 3,000 royal court bronzes were returned. However, two coral crowns and coral bead garment, thought to have belonged to Ovonramwen, were returned to him in the late 1930s by G.M. Miller a son of a member of the Benin expedition, who had loaned the pieces to the British Museum in 1935.[3]
Oba Akenzua II died on 11 June 1978, when he was succeeded by his son, then Prince Solomon, who took on the title of Oba Erediauwa and duties as the traditional leader of the Edo people in Benin City, Nigeria.[4]
- ^ a b "The Benin monarchy". National Daily Newspaper. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
- ^ The Crisis. The Crisis Publishing Company, Inc. p. 161. ISSN 0011-1422. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Hauser-Schäublin, Brigitta; Prott, Lyndel V. (2016-06-10). Cultural Property and Contested Ownership. Routledge. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-317-28183-2.
- ^ "Edo history". edo-nation.net. 20 February 2017.