Nigeria’s museum to oversee return of Benin bronzes

Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) will take charge of retrieving and preserving the Benin Bronzes, with the approval of the Oba of Benin, the rightful owner of the artefacts.

The bronzes, looted by British soldiers in 1897 from the former Kingdom of Benin, remain largely in European museums. A 2023 decree by former President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed the Oba's ownership, but NCMM Director General Olugbile Holloway said the royal palace lacks the infrastructure to care for them.

With the Oba’s consent, NCMM will now oversee conservation and negotiations for their return. Talks with Cambridge University, which paused plans to return over 100 bronzes, are ongoing.

“The return of these objects is about restoring dignity and correcting the injustice of 1897,” Holloway said.