Nigeria and Germany signed a deal for the return of 1,130 Benin bronzes to Nigeria after they were taken away in 1897 during the Benin Expedition. The deal was signed on Friday by Nigeria’s Ministers of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and Foreign Affairs (State), Ambassador Zubariu Dada as well as their German counterparts. The event was witnessed by top Nigerian and German government officials including Yusuf Tuggar, the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, and Prof. Abba Tijani, the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
Mohammed said, “We also want to most sincerely thank the authorities of the various German regions, cities, museums, and institutions that have been working in concert to ensure the manifestation of the history-making event that we are witnessing today. By this singular action, Germany has taken the lead in correcting the wrongs of the past”.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Nigeria’s colonial masters, the British, looted thousands of Benin bronzes and sculptures that once decorated the royal palace of the ancient Benin Kingdom.
Germany did not colonize Nigeria and was not involved in the looting, however, Germany has around 1,100 Benin artifacts spread across 20 museums due to trade or donations.
Nigeria has been negotiating with several European countries for the return of the Benin artifacts and also plans to build a museum in Benin City, Edo State, where they will be located in.
In November 2021, France returned 26 while earlier this year, Britain handed back 2 of the looted treasure; talks are ongoing for more to follow.
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