The Netherlands have returned 119 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, nearly 130 years after they were looted by British colonial troops. The official handover ceremony takes place on June 21 at the National Museum in Lagos, in the presence of representatives from both nations [1280×720]

The Benin Bronzes are a group of several thousand plaques and sculptures made between the 15th and 19th centuries. Artefacts include ornaments, jewellery and masks, many of which decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin, now the Southern Nigerian Edo state. Most of these objects were stolen in 1897, during a brutal punitive expedition in which British troops killed thousands of people and looted the palace. Nigeria has relentlessly campaigned over the years to reclaim the Bronzes [Source](https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/06/19/netherlands-returns-more-than-100-benin-bronzes-looted-from-nigeria)