Call for action: Historian David Olusoga and one of the Elgin Marbles

theft. The palace was destroyed, they were taken and then sold to pay for the cost of the military adventure.

‘Everyone was open about this – steal this stuff, send it to pay for the cost of the bullets. It’s just such a stark case of theft. The idea that your national treasure would be in the museum of another country is something that as British people we would find absolutely impossible to get our heads around, but that’s what Nigerians have to think about.’