The Netherlands will hand over 119 looted Benin bronzes to Nigeria in what is seen as the largest repatriation of the artefacts to date. The handover ceremony is scheduled for June 21 at the National Museum in Lagos, after which the artefacts will be returned to their home in Benin City, Edo State.
Also Read: German Government Officially Returns Stolen Benin Bronzes To Nigeria
The bronzes were looted in the 1897 British raid on Benin City. Earlier in February, the Dutch embassy in Nigeria admitted that the artefacts should never have ended up in the Netherlands, noting that Nigeria had been demanding their return for over 50 years. The official handover will finally fulfill that long-standing call.
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