The artifact, taken from Benin over a century ago, was reportedly scheduled to be auctioned off in Paris on Friday Benin’s government has blocked the sale of a royal recade, a traditional wooden scepter, which was taken by French colonial forces over a century ago. The artifact came from the palace of King Behanzin, the last monarch of the West African nation, which was then known as the Kingdom of Dahomey. The scepter had been scheduled for auctioning at the Hotel Drouot in Paris on Friday,