The Netherlands has officially returned 119 cultural artifacts to Nigeria, which were looted over 120 years ago from the Kingdom of Benin during the colonial era.
The move is part of growing international efforts to return African heritage items, amid mounting pressure on Western governments to repatriate objects taken during colonization.
At a handover ceremony at the National Museum in Lagos, Olugbile Holloway, Director-General of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, described the artifacts as “embodiments of the soul and identity of the peoples from whom they were taken.”
Germany also reaffirmed its plan to return over a thousand additional artifacts.
The returned collection includes the famous Benin Bronzes — intricately crafted sculptures from the 16th to 18th centuries, looted in 1897 during a British military expedition.
In 2022, Nigeria formally requested the return of hundreds of artifacts from international museums, and has since received 72 pieces from London and 31 from Rhode Island in the United States.
