By Ayo Kehinde
The Government of the Netherlands has announced plans to return 119 Benin artefacts looted from Benin City during the infamous 1897 British expedition.
According to a statement released by the Dutch Embassy in Nigeria, the official handover ceremony is scheduled to take place on June 21, 2025, at the National Museum, Lagos.
The items will thereafter be transferred to their final home at the National Museum in Benin City, Edo State.
The artefacts, collectively known as the Benin Bronzes, were seized during a punitive expedition by a British force of about 1,200 men led by Admiral Sir Harry Rawson.
The looted treasures were subsequently sold, with many ending up in private collections and European museums, including the Wereldmuseum in the Netherlands, where they have been displayed for decades.
The upcoming repatriation follows a February statement by Bengt van Loosdrech, the Dutch ambassador-designate to Nigeria, who said the artefacts “should never have ended up in the Netherlands.”
Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway, described the move as the “largest repatriation of Benin antiquities” to date.
Despite their collective name, the artefacts are not all made of bronze.
They include a diverse collection of cultural and historical items such as ivory masks, carved tusks, regal figurines, and sculptures depicting Benin royalty.
Most of the works date back to between the 15th and 19th centuries, representing centuries of rich artistic heritage from the ancient Benin Kingdom.
The return of the artefacts marks another significant step in Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to reclaim its stolen cultural heritage from institutions and collectors around the world.
