Nigeria to receive single-largest antiquities return of 119 Benin Bronzes from Netherlands

The Netherlands has pledged to return to Nigeria no fewer than 199 Benin Bronzes looted by British troops who invaded the Benin City in the late 18th century.

The European country made this known in a statement by its embassy in Abuja on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.

The valuable artefacts were looted during the British invasion and ended up in a museum in the Netherlands, which the country said shouldn't have happened.

The number of bronzes is believed to be the single largest to be returned to Nigeria after over 50 years of efforts to repatriate them.

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“This restitution contributes to redressing a historical injustice that is still being felt today,” Eppo Bruin, Dutch minister of Education, Culture, and Science, was quoted in the statement.

“Cultural heritage is essential for telling and living the history of a country and a community. The Benin Bronzes are indispensable to Nigeria. It is good that they are going back.”

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

Previous efforts to repatriate them were unsuccessful. The British Museum in London refused to return any of its famed collection, and a law passed in 1963 technically prevented the museum from giving back the treasured sculptures.

The treasures were subsequently sold and had been displayed at the Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Leiden.

Dutch ambassador-designate, Bengt van Loosdrech, confirmed that Nigeria has been clamouring for the return of the looted bronzes for over half a century.

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Quoting the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway, the embassy said the return of the antiquities superseded previous repatriations.

“The return of 119 objects from the Netherlands will represent the single largest return of Benin antiquities directly linked to the 1897 British punitive expedition.

“We thank the Netherlands for their cooperation and hope this will set a good example for other nations of the world in terms of repatriation of lost or looted antiquities,” Holloway was quoted to have said.

The embassy added that the bronzes are expected to arrive in Nigeria later this year.