Dutch return looted Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

Employees open a glass case containing some of the 113 Benin Bronzes that are being returned to Nigeria after British troops looted them in the late 19th century. (Photo/AFP)

The Netherlands 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.

British soldiers stole the ancient sculptures, including depictions of royal figures and animals, in the late 1800s from the Kingdom of Benin in modern-day Nigeria.

After the attack on the kingdom, figures ended up in museums and collections across Europe and the United States.

In addition to the 113 bronzes displayed at the Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Leiden, the municipality of Rotterdam will also return six other objects looted in Britain's raid.

Nigeria has been working for the bronzes' return for years.

The delivery of the 119 artefacts will mark the largest single return "of Benin antiquities directly linked to the 1897 British punitive expedition", said Olugbile Holloway, Director-General of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments on Wednesday.

"With this return, we are contributing to the redress of a historical injustice that is still felt today," said Dutch Culture, Education, and Science Minister Eppo Bruins.

"We hope that this will be a good example... for other countries worldwide," Holloway said in a statement.

In 2022, Germany began returning items from its collections of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.

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.

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Source: TRT