Niger: Authorities open investigation into plundering of heritage after sale of meteorite to USA
In Niger, The Nigerien government has announced the launch of an investigation following the auction, on July 16, 2025, in New York, of a rare Martian meteorite discovered in Agadez. The valuable stone, named NWA 16 788, was sold for a staggering $5 million—a transaction that raises serious questions about how it was exported and the potential complicity that enabled its illegal departure from national territory.
Weighing 24.67 kilograms, this meteorite is far more than a simple rock—it is a priceless fragment resulting from a collision between an asteroid and the planet Mars. Discovered in Agadez two years ago by a stone hunter, it was never meant to be commercially traded, especially not through a murky sale outside Niger’s borders. Authorities are now seeking to determine who was responsible, from its collection to its international auction.
Niger’s scientific and cultural sovereignty cannot be undermined by organized cross-border trafficking. The looting of natural and geological resources—even those of extraterrestrial origin—represents a serious violation of national integrity.
This situation underscores the urgent need to strengthen controls over rare geological assets. It is also essential to work with international partners to ensure that Niger either recovers this national treasure or, at the very least, receives justice and compensation for what amounts to an organized theft.
