The Netherlands has announced it will return over 100 “Benin Bronzes” to Nigeria, which were looted by British troops during the late 19th century and ended up in a Dutch museum. This decision follows a request from the Nigerian government, as confirmed by a statement released on Wednesday.
The 113 pieces being repatriated represent the largest return of Benin Bronzes from the 1897 raid, according to Olugbile Holloway, Director General of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
“At the request of Nigeria, the Netherlands is returning 113 ‘Benin Bronzes’ from the National Collection. Minister Eppo Bruins (OCW) has decided to return them,” the statement explained.
The agreement for the transfer will be officially signed on Wednesday by Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, Eppo Bruins, and Olugbile Holloway, the Director-General of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
Dutch Minister Eppo Bruins expressed, “With this return, we are contributing to the redress of a historical injustice that is still felt today.”
This return follows similar repatriations by other countries, including Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. British soldiers took the artefacts, which include sculptures depicting royal figures and animals, during their 1897 raid on the Kingdom of Benin in what is now Nigeria.
While several countries have returned their collections, the British Museum in London continues to refuse to return its own collection of Benin Bronzes, citing a law passed in 1963 that technically prevents the museum from returning the treasures. These artefacts had been sold and were displayed at the Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Leiden before their repatriation.
