Netherlands returns 119 looted Benin Bronze sculptures to Nigeria PHOTOS

The Netherlands has officially returned 119 ancient sculptures to Nigeria that were looted from the former Kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago during the colonial era. This marks the largest physical repatriation of Benin artefacts to Nigeria so far.

The Dutch government had approved their return in February following a formal request from Nigerian authorities, as an article by Euronews recalls.

Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, stated on June 21 that the returned items represent more than just cultural heritage. “The artefacts were the embodiments of the spirit and identity of the people from which they were taken from,” he said.

Speaking at the handover ceremony at the National Museum in Lagos, he added, “All we ask of the world is to treat us with fairness, dignity and respect.”

The majority of the items came from the Dutch State Collection and were housed at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden. Four of the artefacts will remain on loan and continue to be displayed in the Netherlands, while the rest are to be handed over to the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, the traditional ruler of the Kingdom of Benin in what is now Edo State, southern Nigeria.

A historic week as the Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands are coming home to Nigeria! 🇳🇱🤝🇳🇬

The official handover to the Nigerian government takes place on 21 June in Lagos.

Yesterday, the objects arrived to Benin City, where they were blessed by HRM the Oba of Benin.

1/2 pic.twitter.com/8dvMFxXUbY

— Netherlands 🇳🇱 in Nigeria 🇳🇬 (@NLinNigeria) June 19, 2025

These pieces, widely known as the Benin Bronzes, are part of an ongoing wave of restitutions as global demands intensify for the return of looted African heritage. The Benin Bronzes include thousands of artefacts — such as plaques, masks, and jewellery — created between the 15th and 19th centuries. Many of these were originally used to adorn the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin.

A large portion of the Benin Bronzes were taken during a violent British military expedition in 1897. During that punitive raid, British forces killed thousands, ransacked the royal palace, and forced the reigning monarch, Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, into exile for six months. According to the article, the once-sovereign Kingdom was then absorbed into colonial Nigeria with the looted artefacts later distributed and sold to over 130 museums across 20 countries with many ending up in institutions in the UK and Germany.

In recent years, Nigeria has increased efforts to reclaim its stolen heritage. In 2022, Nigerian authorities formally requested the return of hundreds of objects from museums around the world. That same year, 72 artefacts were returned from a museum in London, and 31 more were repatriated from Rhode Island in the United States. Nigeria also submitted a repatriation request in October 2021 to the British Museum, which currently holds more than 900 Benin objects.

Holloway further noted that Germany has committed to returning over 1,000 additional artefacts to Nigeria, adding momentum to the broader effort to restore African heritage to its rightful custodians.

By Nazrin Sadigova