NIGERIA WELCOMES LARGEST-EVER BATCH OF REPATRIATED BENIN BRONZES FROM THE NETHERLANDS

In a landmark cultural restitution, 119 Benin Bronzes have been formally returned to Nigeria by the Netherlands, marking the single largest repatriation of stolen artefacts since the beginning of the global restitution movement.
These sacred royal treasures, stolen during the 1897 British invasion of the Benin Kingdom, had long been housed in Dutch museums. Their return, confirmed on June 19, 2025, follows decades of sustained advocacy from Nigerian traditional authorities, especially the Benin Royal Court, and a broader global movement for decolonising museum collections.
But amid celebration comes urgent national reckoning. Who will house the returned artefacts — the federal government or the Oba of Benin?
Former President Muhammadu Buhari had, in 2023, issued a presidential gazette declaring the Oba of Benin as the rightful custodian of the bronzes, describing them as sacred royal properties. However, federal authorities and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) have not relinquished claims, leading to simmering tension.
Scholars have warned against converting spiritually significant artefacts into mere display pieces behind glass — an approach they describe as Eurocentric. They argue for community-led restitution and heritage-based governance over bureaucratic control.
Experts are also raising concerns over the readiness of Nigeria’s museums to house and preserve the artefacts. Some past returns from Germany and Britain have been embroiled in mismanagement and poor conservation standards.
Many now view this moment as an opportunity for Nigeria to establish a long-overdue national heritage endowment and fast-track projects like the Edo Museum of West African Art (EMOWAA), envisioned as a global centre for African art and history.