The Netherlands on Thursday returned 119 looted artifacts to Nigeria, including Benin Bronzes, royal regalia, and ceremonial figures.
The prized items, housed for decades in the city of Leiden, were stolen during a British military raid in 1897.
British forces, under Sir Henry Rawson, sacked the Benin kingdom, exiled its monarch, and looted the palace’s cultural treasures.
At a handover ceremony in Edo State, Oba Ewuare II, custodian of Benin culture, hailed the return as a “divine intervention.”
“This restitution reflects the power of prayer and unwavering determination,” the monarch said to gathered dignitaries and cultural leaders.
The artifacts were returned following a request by Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
“This is the largest single repatriation to date,” said Olugbile Holloway, director of the commission, vowing to recover more looted treasures.
Marieke Van Bommel, director of the Wereld Museum, affirmed the Dutch government’s commitment to return artifacts acquired through colonial injustice.
In recent years, museums across Europe and North America have faced rising calls to return colonial-era artifacts.
Nigeria began formally requesting the return of its cultural heritage in 2022, securing 72 pieces from a London museum that year.
Another 31 objects were repatriated from a Rhode Island museum, underscoring a global reckoning with historical wrongs.
Benin, now part of southern Nigeria, continues to reclaim its stolen legacy, one artifact at a time.