Artifacts that were stolen from the Kingdom of Benin in the nineteenth century, according to a London museum, will be returned to Nigeria. The Horniman Museum announced that the Nigerian government would acquire ownership of 72 items.
12 brass plaques, also referred to as Benin Bronzes, a brass cockerel, and a key to the king’s palace are among the items.
The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) of Nigeria requested in January. The south-east London museum claims to have consulted local residents, tourists, schoolchildren, academics, heritage industry experts, and artists from Nigeria and the UK. The museum said that in addition to the objects’ provenance, “all of their views on the future of the Benin objects were considered.”
The chair of the museum declared that returning them was “moral and proper.” Political pressure on European governments and museums to return looted artifacts has grown in recent years. These include metal sculptures called the Benin Bronzes and carvings made of ivory. The Horniman’s collection items are just a few of the artifacts that western museums have recently shipped back to Nigeria.
A cockerel sculpture and an oba’s head were returned to Aberdeen University and Jesus College in Cambridge last month (king). More than 1,100 artifacts were also returned to the west African nation by German authorities. When the national museum in Benin has been expanded, some of the priceless sculptures will be kept there, while others will be kept at the museum in Lagos, according to NCMM.
The largest collection of Benin bronzes can be found worldwide at the British Museum. It claims that the British Museum Act of 1963 and the National Heritage Act of 1983 prohibit it from permanently returning things.
