On 19 February 2025, a significant moment in history unfolded in Leiden, Netherlands. A signing ceremony confirmed the official transfer of 113 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands back to Nigeria. It marked a major step in the long and complex journey of repatriating these stolen artefacts, looted by British forces.
In 1897, British troops stormed the Kingdom of Benin under the guise of a “punitive expedition.” What followed was an act of brutal colonial violence. The kingdom’s ruler, Oba Ovonramwen (Eweka I), was exiled. His palace was set ablaze, its sacred and royal treasures plundered. What was not stolen was destroyed. What was not destroyed was left to decay.
The looting was methodical. British soldiers loaded thousands of artefacts onto ships bound for Britain, where they were sold to museums and private collectors. The British Museum in London became the largest holder of these looted objects, but many others were scattered across Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Today, they are still displayed in museum collections under the category of ‘African art’, an impersonal label that strips them of their deeper significance.
For some, these bronzes might appear as mere decorative pieces, exquisite objects to admire. But for the Benin people, they are far more. They are sacred. They are history. They are the work of master craftsmen whose bronze artistry remains unparalleled in the world. The Benin Bronzes were never just art, nor were they mere objects of admiration. They were living records. Histories cast in metal. Symbols of a kingdom that stood for centuries as a centre of power, identity, spirituality, wealth, and artistry in what is now southern Nigeria.
As Olugbile Holloway, Director-General of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), explains:
“A lot of these pieces serve a spiritual purpose because they tell the story and history of the Benin Kingdom and the lineage of the Oba. The elephant tusks, for example, narrate the stories of past Obas and can be read from top to bottom by Benin historians. The bronze cocks are symbols of royalty and divinity. The bronze bells, some say, are used in ancestral shrines by priests to communicate with the ancestors, while depictions of crocodiles reference the important role water plays in Benin spirituality. So many hidden details and stories, far too many to go into.”
The people of Benin City have waited. Nigeria has waited. Now, for the first time in over a century, some of the Benin Bronzes are finally coming home from the Netherlands.
Holloway was present at the signing ceremony in Leiden, representing Nigeria alongside Eppo Bruins, the Netherlands’ Minister of Education, Culture, and Science. For him, this moment is not just a professional landmark but a personal one.
“It indeed feels great to be part of something I studied in school as a young child, but it is very important to acknowledge the role played by various actors before me. The earliest calls for repatriations began from Oba Eweka II of Benin in the 1930s and these discussions have been ongoing for many years now. Many organisations and people have played pivotal roles in the story of repatriations.”
While the return of these artefacts is a victory, it raises a deeper question: Is repatriation enough? Considering the violence surrounding their theft and the wider devastation of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade, should former colonial powers be doing more to address historical injustices?
“Absolutely, more needs to be done,” Holloway affirms. “But we have to start from somewhere. The objects serve as a good starting point and a conversation opener for the wider discussions that need to happen. It is however important that we take these conversations in bits, so as not to detract from the progress being made and the current willingness of western museums to return our priceless treasures.”
If you, like many art enthusiasts in Nigeria, have been paying attention to the conversation surrounding the return of the looted Benin Bronzes, you have most definitely read or heard critics of the repatriation movement claim that Nigeria is not ready for these works to be returned. What does it mean to be ready?
A sentence from the British Museum’s website explaining the Benin Bronzes reads, ‘Over 900 objects from the historic Kingdom of Benin are currently cared for by the British Museum.’ How does one care for a thing that was stolen? The definition of the word ‘care’ here must be questioned, as it feeds the rhetoric that these works are best preserved in European institutions, reinforcing a paternalistic notion that former colonial subjects are incapable of caring for their own heritage.
The very act of demanding justification for their return is absurd.
There should be no need to provide a ‘best’ reason to return these looted artefacts. Nigeria does not have to explain why it demands its looted artefacts, nor do the looters have the right to demand justification from its former colonial subjects for their return.
The best, and only, reason to return the artefacts to their original context is simply that: to return the works to their original owners. C’est tout!
“I think that it is unfair to steal a mans property and then give him conditions for its return based on his ability to care for that which was stolen. We do not have anything to prove to those that have our artefacts and so our calls for repatriation always state that it must be unconditional.” Olugbile says.
“Our ability to care for these objects has never been in question, what we however need, similar to every museum in the world, is more funding to enable us expand and keep our facilities up to date with the best practices in artefact conservation.” Olugbile says.
The conversation on care is not the only issue the repatriation movement has encountered. There is also a local conflict of ownership, which was exacerbated by former President Muhammadu Buhari. Shortly before he left office in March 2023, he made a public declaration in an official government gazette that Oba Ewuare II—the king of Benin—was the rightful owner of the Benin Bronzes. This reignited the feud between the royal palace and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Nigeria’s federal body tasked with the country’s cultural and material heritage, over where the looted artifacts should be displayed.
However, that is now water under the bridge. The royal palace and the NCMM have an agreement reaffirming the Oba’s ownership of the looted Benin Bronzes. It explicitly states that the Oba has graciously appointed the NCMM to manage these artifacts on behalf of the Benin people and Nigerians. Olugbile explains, ‘The NCMM and the Royal Court are now united in a single vision and goal that these objects should and will be made available to as many Nigerians as wish to see them in the network of NCMM museums across the country, and eventually, some in the Benin Royal Museum being spearheaded by the Oba of Benin, but will be managed by our Commission.”
With the signing completed, and the debate about ownership settled, attention now shifts to accessibility. Will everyday Nigerians, especially those passionate about art and history but without access to major exhibitions, get to experience these artifacts?
For the organisation (NCMM), access is a two-fold discussion. physical, meaning improved museum infrastructure across the country, and digital, through a digital museum currently being developed with support from IHS Towers, with the first version launching this year. Holloway explains, “The Bronzes and other Nigerian antiquities will be made available to Nigerians by using our network of existing museums.”
The journey does not end here. Many Benin Bronzes remain in museums across the world. While some counties have taken steps towards returning the looted artefacts, the British Museum—home to the largest collection—remains slow, due to UK laws preventing permanent removal. Holloway explains, “the negotiations with the UK are a bit slow because of their unique laws that govern the return of stolen antiquities. What we have learnt is that there is no one size fits all when it comes to these sorts of discussions but rather our strategy must be adapted to cater to the nuances of whoever we are negotiating with at the time.”
For now, 113 artefacts are coming home. It is a start. And it is long overdue.
The post Olugbile Holloway On The Return & Significance of 113 Benin Bronzes From the Netherlands appeared first on BellaNaija - Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.
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