Nigeria has officially received 119 Benin artifacts from the Netherlands, more than a century after they were looted from the former Kingdom of Benin during the 1897 British invasion. The items—bronze and ivory ceremonial objects, royal figures, plaques, and a bell—were handed over during a ceremony in Benin City attended by traditional leaders, government officials, and Dutch museum representatives.
Oba Ewuare II, the traditional ruler of the Benin Kingdom, praised the return, calling it “a divine intervention” and a moment of justice for the kingdom’s cultural legacy. The returned artifacts had been housed in Dutch institutions including the Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam.
The Director-General of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Olugbile Holloway, confirmed that the artifacts will be temporarily held by the national museum authority, with plans to relocate them to the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA) when it opens in 2026.
Marieke van Bommel, director of the Wereldmuseum, said the restitution was a moral decision reflecting the Netherlands’ responsibility to address colonial-era injustices. She described the artifacts as invaluable to Nigeria’s cultural identity and history.
This is the largest single repatriation of Benin artifacts to Nigeria in one instance. It follows earlier returns from the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. Nigerian officials say more returns are expected, and they continue to call on institutions such as the British Museum to follow suit.
