The Netherlands has said that it will be returning to Nigeria over 100 “Benin Bronzes” that British troops looted in the late 19th century and ended up in a Dutch museum.
The Netherland said in a statement on Wednesday that the move followed a request by the Nigerian government.
It noted that some of the stolen Benin Bronzes are expected to be repatriated from Netherlands.
It recalled that 113 pieces are the biggest haul returned to Nigeria from the 1897 raid, said Olugbile Holloway, Director General of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
“At the request of Nigeria, the Netherlands is returning 113 ‘Benin Bronzes’ from the National Collection. Minister Eppo Bruins (OCW) has decided to return them,” the statement said.
According to the statement, the transfer agreement will be signed on Wednesday by the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, Eppo Bruins, and the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway.
“With this return, we are contributing to the redress of a historical injustice that is still felt today,” said Dutch Culture, Education, and Science Minister Eppo Bruins.
The Netherlands’ return of these artefacts follows similar ones by other countries, such as Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
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).
According to local media reports, the sculptures, prized for their beauty and technical artistry, are of spiritual and historical significance for the people from that part of Nigeria.
It added that this move may increase pressure on other institutions to return the Benin Bronzes, especially the British Museum, which has over 900 artefacts.
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.
GIK/APA