‘She sat for him 12 times’: The Nigerian artist who made a bronze sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II is expected to face death threats and legal action after she was photographed sitting next to the monarch.
It was an artist’s tribute to one of Nigeria’s most beloved statesmen, a political figure who is revered as a symbol of good, not evil. On her third visit to England in 20 years, Queen Elizabeth II was pictured sitting in a café with sculptor Ota Njike.
Njike had created the bronze figure in memory of the queen’s friend, the Nigerian president, who passed away in 2015. The bronze depicts her standing on a chair flanked by two men, one of which is her consort, King Peter II.
It was an artist’s tribute to one of Nigeria’s most beloved statesmen, a political figure who is revered as a symbol of good, not evil.
On her third visit to England in 20 years, Queen Elizabeth II was pictured sitting in a café with sculptor Ota Njike (pictured)
The statue has been on display since February 2019 and Njike has since faced death threats, threats of legal action, public shaming online and constant rumours of her whereabouts.
Sculptor Ota Okoh is said to be in deep depression after the images of him sitting next to the queen was leaked, and many of his fans have called for his arrest.
‘She was not sitting next to Queen Elizabeth nor is she sitting in a chair. She sat for him 12 times,’ an angry Nigerian fan wrote on Instagram.
‘He sat for her in different places in many different countries like she was sitting for him,’ another fan wrote.
‘She sat for him 12 time and now she is sitting for him everywhere.’
‘They say she’s in pain because she’s sitting on a chair next to a man who sits for her in different places in the whole world,’ a third fan wrote.
On his official Facebook page, Njike thanked the Queen for her ‘honourable service’.
‘The Queen, in her wisdom, is very kind and gracious to all the people who serve her and give her honourable service and sacrifices for the benefit of Ghana,’ he wrote.
‘She is a person who is a model of humanity, integrity and justice. To me, she
