The Netherlands has said it will return 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.

According to a statement released by the embassy, the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science, Eppo Bruins, and the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Olugbile Holloway, will sign the transfer agreement on Wednesday.

“The artefacts are expected to arrive in Nigeria later this year,” the statement read.

The return of the Benin Bronzes is part of efforts, according to Bruins, to right historical wrongs done to Nigeria's cultural heritage.

This was as he admired Nigeria’s leadership in the fight to recover colonial-era looted art.

“The restitution contributes to redressing a historical injustice that is still being felt today.

“We congratulate Nigeria for being at the forefront of efforts to reclaim colonial looted art. For over fifty years, Nigeria has advocated for the return of the Benin Bronzes. This restitution is a testament to the enduring strength of our partnership with Nigeria,” he stated.

Speaking at the signing ceremony held at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden, the Netherlands, the minister said, “Cultural heritage is essential for telling and living the history of a country and a community.

“The Benin Bronzes are indispensable to Nigeria. It is good that they are going back.”

In his remarks, Holloway thanked the Netherlands for its cooperation and expressed hope that this would encourage other nations to follow suit in returning looted antiquities.

“The return of 119 objects from the Netherlands will represent the most extensive return of Benin antiquities directly linked to the 1897 British punitive expedition.

“We thank the Netherlands for their cooperation and hope this will set a good example for other nations of the world in terms of repatriation of lost or looted antiquities,” he remarked.

The development comes on the hills of a similar return of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria by Germany and the United States.

In 2022, Germany returned 1,030 Benin Bronzes while the United States saw three museums return 31 items in the same year.

Unfortunately, the British Museum with the largest collection of Benin Bronzes has blamed legal constraints as the reason for its failure to return the Bronzes in its possession.

ASA