Netherlands returns 119 looted artifacts known as Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

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The Netherlands has returned 119 artifacts looted from Nigeria, including quality and carnal figures, plaques, royal regalia and a bell

ByDYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria -- The Netherlands connected Thursday returned 119 artifacts looted from Nigeria, including quality and carnal figures, plaques, royal regalia and a bell.

The artifacts, known arsenic the Benin Bronzes and mostly housed successful a depository successful the metropolis of Leiden, were looted successful the precocious 19th period by British soldiers.

In caller years, museums crossed Europe and North America person moved to code ownership disputes implicit artifacts looted during the assemblage era. They were returned astatine the request of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

During the handover ceremonial successful Edo State, Oba Ewuare II, the monarch and custodian of Benin culture, described the instrumentality of the artifacts arsenic a “divine intervention.” The Benin Bronzes were returned astatine the petition of Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

The restitution is simply a testament to the powerfulness of supplication and determination, the monarch said.

The Dutch authorities is committed to returning artifacts that bash not beryllium to the country, said Marieke Van Bommel, manager of the Wereld Museum.

Olugbile Holloway, the commission’s director, said the instrumentality of 119 artifacts marks the largest azygous repatriation to day and that his enactment is moving hard to retrieve much items looted during assemblage times.

Nigeria formally requested the instrumentality of hundreds of objects from museums astir the satellite successful 2022. Some 72 objects were returned from a London museum that twelvemonth portion 31 were returned from a depository successful Rhode Island.

The Benin Bronzes were stolen successful 1897 erstwhile British forces nether the bid of Sir Henry Rawson sacked the Benin kingdom and forced Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, the monarch astatine the time, into a six-month exile. Benin is located successful modern-day confederate Nigeria.