Netherlands Returns Benin Bronzes to Nigeria
(MENAFN) The Netherlands has given back 119 cultural relics to Nigeria, which include sculptures of people and animals, decorative plaques, ceremonial ornaments, and a historically significant bell.
These pieces were taken from Nigeria more than one hundred years ago.
These cultural treasures, collectively called the Benin Bronzes, were officially returned during a formal event at the National Museum in Lagos, the most populous city in Nigeria, on Saturday.
The items were seized during the late 1800s when British troops invaded the Kingdom of Benin—now located in the southern region of Nigeria—looting royal residences and sending King Ovonramwen Nogbaisi into exile.
The monarch had resisted British attempts to dominate the region and retain power over trade in commodities like palm oil, rubber, and ivory.
“The return is unconditional, recognizing that the objects were looted during the British attack on Benin City in 1897, and should have never ended up in the Netherlands,” stated the Dutch authorities in a formal announcement.
According to the same statement, “The Dutch restitution is the largest physical return of Benin artifacts to Nigeria to date.”
Nigeria amplified its efforts to retrieve the Benin Bronzes in 2022, when the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) officially requested global institutions to restore stolen heritage items.
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