Benin bronzes looted in the past and returned to Nigeria are examined during a handing over ceremony in Lagos Nigeria, Saturday June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Benin bronzes looted in the past and returned to Nigeria are examined during a handing over ceremony in Lagos Nigeria, Saturday June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Benin bronzes looted in the past and returned to Nigeria are examined during a handing over ceremony in Lagos Nigeria, Saturday June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Benin bronzes looted in the past and returned to Nigeria are display during a handing over ceremony in Lagos Nigeria, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
Benin bronzes looted in the past and returned to Nigeria are examined during a handing over ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The Netherlands on Thursday returned 119 artifacts looted from Nigeria, including human and animal figures, plaques, royal regalia and a bell.
The artifacts, known as the Benin Bronzes and mostly housed in a museum in the city of Leiden, were looted in the late 19th century by British soldiers.
In recent years, museums across Europe and North America have moved to address ownership disputes over artifacts looted during the colonial era. They were of Nigeria’s ºÃÉ«tv Commission for Museums and Monuments.
During the handover ceremony in Edo State, Oba Ewuare II, the monarch and custodian of Benin culture, described the return of the artifacts as a “divine intervention.†The Benin Bronzes were returned at the request of Nigeria’s ºÃÉ«tv Commission for Museums and Monuments.
The restitution is a testament to the power of prayer and determination, the monarch said.
The Dutch government is committed to returning artifacts that do not belong to the country, said Marieke Van Bommel, director of the Wereld Museum.
Olugbile Holloway, the commission’s director, said the return of 119 artifacts marks the largest single repatriation to date and that his organization is working hard to recover more items looted during colonial times.
Nigeria formally requested the return of hundreds of objects from museums around the world in 2022. Some 72 objects were returned from a that year while 31 were returned from a museum in .
The Benin Bronzes were stolen in 1897 when British forces under the command of Sir Henry Rawson sacked the Benin kingdom and forced Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, the monarch at the time, into a six-month exile. Benin is located in modern-day southern Nigeria.
The ºÃÉ«tv Press. All rights reserved.
Canada is entering a new era of nation-building. From clean-energy corridors and c…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
