Netherlands to return looted Benin bronzes to Nigeria

By : Guardian Nigeria

Date: 20 February 2025 4:13am WAT

A handout picture taken on March 17, 2021 at the University of Aberdeen shows a bronze sculpture depicting an "Oba" (king) of Benin acquired by the University at auction in 1957. - The University of Aberdeen in Scotland is to return a Benin bronze sculpture to Nigeria, saying it was acquired by British soldiers in 1897 in "reprehensible circumstances" on March 25, 2021. (Photo by Kalyan VEERA / University of Aberdeen / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /KALYAN VEERA/UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

The government of the Netherlands has said it was returning more than 100 “Benin Bronzes” to Nigeria that British troops looted in the late 19th Century and ended up in a Dutch museum.

The European country stated this in a statement yesterday, saying the move followed a request by the Nigerian government.

The 113 pieces are the biggest haul returned to Nigeria from the 1897 raid, according to the Director General of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway.

“At the request of Nigeria, the Netherlands is returning 113 ‘Benin Bronzes’ from the national collection. The Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, Eppo Bruins, has decided to return them,” the statement read.

According to the statement, the transfer agreement was signed yesterday by Bruins, and the Director-General of NCMM, Olugbile Holloway.

“With this return, we are contributing to the redress of a historical injustice that is still felt today,” said Bruins.

The return of these artefacts follows similar ones by other countries, such as Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

British soldiers stole the ancient sculptures, including depictions of royal figures and animals, from the Kingdom of Benin in modern-day Nigeria in 1897.

However, the British Museum in London has refused to return any of its famed collection. A law passed in 1963 technically prevents the museum from giving back the treasures.