The Netherlands returns 119 stolen sculptures to Nigeria

The Benin Bronzes were artefacts stolen during the UK’s imperial plunder of Benin, modern-day confederate Nigeria.

The Netherlands has officially handed backmost 119 past sculptures stolen from the erstwhile Nigerian kingdom of Benin much than 120 years agone during the assemblage era.

Olugbile Holloway, director-general of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments, said connected Saturday that the artefacts were the “embodiments of the tone and individuality of the radical from which they were taken from”.

“All we inquire of the satellite is to dainty america with fairness, dignity and respect,” helium said astatine a ceremonial held astatine the National Museum successful Lagos.

Holloway added that Germany had besides agreed to instrumentality much than 1,000 further pieces.

The artefacts, known arsenic the Benin Bronzes, are the latest instrumentality of precious past to Africa arsenic unit increases connected Western governments to instrumentality items taken during imperialism.

Four of the artefacts are connected show successful the museum’s courtyard and volition stay successful the museum’s imperishable collection, portion the others volition beryllium returned to the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II – the accepted ruler of the Kingdom of Benin successful confederate Nigeria.

The Benin Bronzes see metallic and ivory sculptures dating backmost to the 16th to 18th centuries.

The items were stolen successful 1897 erstwhile British forces, nether the bid of Sir Henry Rawson, ransacked the Benin kingdom – modern-day confederate Nigeria – and forced Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, the monarch astatine the time, into a six-month exile.

In 2022, Nigeria formally requested the instrumentality of hundreds of objects from museums worldwide. In the aforesaid year, astir 72 objects were returned from a depository successful London, and 31 were returned from Rhode Island successful the United States.