By The Netherlands has agreed to return 119 stolen Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, following a request from the Nigerian government. These artifacts were taken during the 1897 British punitive expedition.
The official transfer agreement was signed on Wednesday, February 19, at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden. Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, Eppo Bruins, and the Director-General of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway, finalized the deal.
According to a statement from the Netherlands Embassy in Abuja, the artifacts are expected to arrive in Nigeria later this year.
The return of the bronzes is part of ongoing global efforts to repatriate looted artifacts to their countries of origin.
Officials emphasized that this restitution marks an important step in strengthening cultural ties between Nigeria and the Netherlands.
Nigerian authorities have welcomed the move, calling it a significant moment in the preservation of the country’s heritage.
