Akenzua II ascended to the throne as the Oba of Benin in April 1933 after his father, Eweka II, passed away in February of the same year. He was committed to providing western education to the Edo people. In 1936, he initiated efforts to repatriate the Benin Bronzes, which had been looted during the 1897 Benin Expedition. During his reign, only two out of 3,000 royal court bronzes were returned, and a few items were returned to him in the late 1930s. Akenzua II passed away on June 11, 1978, and his son, Prince Solomon, succeeded him as Oba Erediauwa, the traditional leader of the Edo people in Benin City, Nigeria.
Source: Agbonmwenre, Alex. Oba Akenzua, Bronze-cast(Lost-wax), Private collection, Benin city.
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