By agency reports
The police in France have arrested two men for allegedly stealing priceless jewellery worth about N150 billion naira from the famous world’s largest Louvre Museum in Paris.
Local reports said that the suspects are from the Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, and one of them was caught while trying to board a flight at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
According to the reports, jewels worth about ₦149.3 billion ($102 million) were stolen from the museum on Sunday, after four thieves armed with power tools broke in during the day.
The French Ministry of Culture in a statement said the robbers smashed two high-security display cases and escaped with eight valuable items.
The stolen treasures include a tiara and necklace from the sapphire collection of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, an emerald necklace and earrings from the parure of Marie-Louise, a reliquary brooch, and two ornaments belonging to Empress Eugénie — a tiara and a large bodice bow.
The ministry added that the museum’s alarms were triggered during the violent and rapid break-in.
At the time of the incident, the five staff members on duty quickly followed security procedures by contacting the police and prioritising the safety of visitors,” the statement said.
Following the robbery, police cordoned off the museum — home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa— while armed soldiers secured the area around its iconic glass pyramid entrance.
The Louvre, located in Paris, is the largest museum in the world, covering nearly 73,000 square metres — more than ten football fields.
Originally built in 1546 as a royal palace for King Francis I, it became a museum in 1793 after the French Revolution.
Today, the Louvre houses more than 35,000 works of art and attracts about 30,000 visitors each day.
