Netherlands to return stolen Benin statues to Nigeria

The Netherlands says it will return more than 100 Benin Bronzes that British troops looted from Nigeria in the late 19th Century and which ended up in a Dutch museum.

Thousands of these culturally significant sculptures and carvings were stolen during the violent destruction of Benin City, in modern-day Nigeria’s Edo state, in 1897.

The treasures were sold, some to private collectors and others to museums like the Wereldmuseum in The Netherlands, which has displayed these artefacts for decades.

The return of the 119 artefacts is the “largest repatriation of Benin antiquities”, said Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).

Despite the name, not all the statues are made of bronze. They include figurines, tusks, sculptures of Benin’s rulers, and an ivory mask. They were made during between the 15th and 19th Centuries.

A transfer of agreement is due to be signed on Wednesday. Mr Holloway added that he hoped this would set a good example for other countries.

In 2022, Germany was the first to return over 20 Benin bronzes in a bid to deal with its “dark colonial history”.

“With this return, we are contributing to the redress of a historical injustice that is still felt today,” said Dutch Minister of Culture, Education, and Science Eppo Bruins, reports the AFP news agency.

The sculptures, prized for their beauty and technical artistry, are of spiritual and historical significance for the people from that part of Nigeria.

Their theft still remains a point of pain for the descendants of those from the ancient Benin kingdom.

This move may increase pressure on other institutions to return the Benin Bronzes, especially the British Museum, which has over 900 artefacts.

Protests and demonstrations have taken place outside the British Museum as part of a campaign for their return.

However, an act of parliament prevents the British Museum from sending them back.

For many in Nigeria, the Benin Bronzes are a potent reminder of the violence of colonialism.

The NCMM has issued formal repatriation requests to museums across the world.

Nigeria said it plans to open the Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City in 2026, designed by the British-Ghanaian architect Sir David Adjaye, to house the largest collection of Benin Bronzes ever assembled.