Nigeria and Germany sign agreement to return 1,130 pieces of bronze looted during 1897 Massacre of Benin

NIGERIA'S minister of information and culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed has revealed that the country has signed an agreement for the repatriation of 1,130 pieces of Benin bronzes from Berlin in Germany.

In March last year, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State met with German foreign ministry officials to demand the return of precious artefacts looted during the 1897 massacre of Benin revealing that he intends to house them in his proposed Edo Museum of West African Art. Hoping to restore some of the lost glory of the old Benin Kingdom and build a vibrant tourist trade around it, Governor Obaseki plans to open an Edo Museum of West African Art where all these artworks will be displayed.

Already, London's Horniman Museum is considering returning several Nigerian artefacts including bronze statues obtained using colonial violence during the 1897 Massacre of Benin in response to the growing clamour for correcting British wrongs against its former colonies. This follows a decision taken by the of University of Cambridge's constituent school Jesus College to return its emblem a bronze cockerel to Nigeria as it was forcefully taken by British colonial conquerors.

Speaking during inauguration of The Art Hotel in Lagos, Alhaji Mohammed assured Nigerians of the federal government’s commitment toward recovering the nation’s priceless works of art. Since 2017, the Benin Dialogue Group, which brings together the current Oba of Benin, the Nigerian government and museums across Europe, has been working on a plan for some Benin bronzes to return to Nigeria.

Alhaji Mohammed said: “Let me restate our commitment to recovering our priceless works of art which were looted from our country. Our efforts in this regard have started to yield fruits as last week, in Berlin, Germany, we signed the agreement for the repatriation of 1,130 Benin bronzes which were looted from the ancient city of Benin kingdom in 1897.

“This number represents the single largest repatriation of looted works of art anywhere in the world. There is no doubt that the return of the most coveted Benin bronzes to Nigeria will help to stimulate domestic tourism in our country.”