Nigerian museum agrees with royal ruler on custody of Benin bronzes

Nigeria's national museum commission will be responsible for retrieving and keeping priceless Benin bronzes, taking on the task with the assent of the royal ruler appointed sole owner and custodian of the objects nearly two years ago, its head said.

Nigeria is on a quest to recover thousands of intricate bronze sculptures and castings looted by British soldiers during a raid on the then-separate Kingdom of Benin, located in southern Nigeria, in 1897.

The stolen bronzes are among Africa's finest and most significant heritage objects and are mostly in Europe.

In March 2023, then-president Muhammadu Buhari signed a decree saying the oba, or king, of the historic kingdom of Benin rightfully owned all returned Benin bronzes and was responsible for managing all places where the artefacts are kept.

Olugbile Holloway, director general of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), told Reuters the oba did not have the infrastructure to care for the bronzes.

"The oba has given the NCMM the blessing to display, conserve and pursue reparation of the objects. There is no more ambiguity," said Holloway.

In 2023 the NCMM said the University of Cambridge's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology put on hold plans to return more than 100 artefacts after the government decree.

Holloway, , said it was a matter of time before an agreement would be reached with Cambridge University for the artefacts' return.

"The return of the objects is not only about displaying them in the museum or taking care of them. It is about the dignity of our people and undoing the injustice of 1897."  

Reuters