By Osa Mbonu-Amadi, Arts Editor

As we all know by now, the Netherlands has officially returned 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, marking the largest single repatriation of these historic artefacts since they were looted over 120 years ago during the British colonial invasion of the Benin Kingdom in 1897. The handover ceremony took place on June 21, 2025, at the National Museum in Lagos, attended by Nigerian and Dutch officials, including Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, and Dutch Ambassador Dewi van de Weerd.

The Benin Bronzes, comprising metal and ivory sculptures dating from the 16th to 18th centuries, embody the spirit and identity of the Benin people. Four artefacts remain on display at the museum’s courtyard in Lagos, while the rest will be returned to Oba Ewuare II, the traditional ruler of the Benin Kingdom. Oba Ewuare II described the return as a “divine intervention” and a testament to sustained advocacy by the Benin Royal Court and Nigerian government.

This restitution follows Nigeria’s formal 2022 request for the return of hundreds of cultural objects held in museums worldwide. In that year, 72 Benin Bronzes were returned from a London museum and 31 from Rhode Island in the United States. Germany has also committed to returning more than 1,000 Benin artefacts, furthering the global movement to address colonial-era cultural plunder.

The Benin Bronzes were originally seized during the punitive British expedition led by Sir Henry Rawson, which resulted in the exile of the then-king Ovonramwen Nogbaisi and the looting of the royal palace. The Dutch government’s decision to return the artefacts was announced in February 2025, recognising that these items were wrongfully acquired and belong to Nigeria.

This historic return is seen as a significant step toward restoring cultural dignity and fostering international cooperation through cultural diplomacy between Nigeria and the Netherlands. It also sets a precedent for other Western nations to follow in repatriating artefacts taken during imperialism.