History came full circle in a powerful display of culture and justice as 119 looted Benin artefacts were returned by the Netherlands to the palace of Oba Ewuare II. The repatriation—the largest ever by any European country—sparked jubilation across Benin Kingdom, with high-ranking chiefs dancing to ancestral drumbeats and the Oba himself joining in the celebration. The artefacts, looted during the 1897 British invasion, are more than artistic relics; they embody the spiritual and historical soul of the Benin people. Their return marks a monumental step in restoring stolen heritage and rekindling the identity and pride of an ancient African civilisation, reports OSAGIE OTABOR
It was a moment of jubilation at the palace of the Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II, as the government of the Netherlands returned 119 artefacts looted during the 1897 British invasion of Benin Kingdom. High-ranking chiefs danced gracefully to ancient drumbeats, and in a rare public gesture, the Oba himself rose to dance in celebration. This return marks the largest single repatriation of Benin artefacts by any European country. The treasured artefacts—bronzes, wood carvings, ivory, and brass works—hold deep cultural, historical, and religious significance. Each piece was originally commissioned by reigning Obas and crafted by specialised guilds: bronze and brass casters from Igun Street (Igun n’Eromwon) and wood carvers from Igbesamwan, all custodians of ancestral artistry passed down through generations.
In a spiritual gesture, Oba Ewuare II invoked the spirits of the returned artefacts using his official sceptre, commanding them to summon the return of their scattered counterparts from around the world. He vowed never to allow the artefacts to be relooted while he sits on the ancestral throne. The return is not merely the repatriation of cultural property; it is a spiritual homecoming. As Theophilus Umogbai, Director and Curator of the Benin City National Museum, noted, the artefacts’ return is akin to the return of ancestors. “Everybody is waiting and hoping to behold these objects,” he said, capturing the profound emotional and cultural resonance of the moment.
“People have been talking about these objects since 1897 and yet we are unable to access these objects to behold them, to view them. Each of the objects taken away represented an ancestor in captivity, not just an artwork but an ancestor in captivity. That will tell you how important the objects are. So, they are part of our history and when they were taken away it was our civil library was raided and vandalised, their return now will help to fill in those gaps.”
Before the return of 119 artefacts by the Netherlands, several museums and private individuals across the world had already responded to growing global pressure to return looted Benin artefacts. In 2014, under the reign of Oba Erediauwa, Dr. Adrian Walker—great-grandson of Captain Hubert Sutherland Walker, a British spy involved in the 1897 invasion—returned two bronze pieces. He described his action as a moral responsibility, stating it was unethical to keep what was never legally his.
In a related development, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), at the weekend returned two works of art from the Benin Kingdom to His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, in a ceremony at the Nigeria House in New York City, which houses both the permanent mission of Nigeria to the United Nations and Consulate General of Nigeria. The works were presented to His Royal Highness Prince Aghatise Erediauwa and Ambassador Samson Itegboje of the Embassy of Nigeria, a statement from the organisation stated.
The National Commission for Museums and Monuments, working with the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, D.C., the statement said, will take possession of these two works and coordinate their handling, care, transit to Nigeria, and delivery to the Oba of Benin. The transfer was coordinated and facilitated by Dr. Arese Carrington, a member of the MFA’s Board of Advisors, the statement added. In addition to Aghatise Erediauwa, Itegboje and Carrington, the ceremony was attended by Ambassador Abubakar Jidda, Consul General of Nigeria, New York; Matthew Teitelbaum, the MFA’s Ann and Graham Gund Director.
“I am pleased to deliver these two works of art to Prince Aghatise Erediuwa on behalf of HM Oba Ewuare II,” said Matthew Teitelbaum, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the MFA. As custodians of these exceptional objects for the past 12 years, it is deeply gratifying to see them returned to their rightful owner. I want to thank Dr. Arese Carrington, Ambassador Itegboje and Consul General Jidda for their partnership in this truly meaningful event,” the MFA officials added.
In 2021, Jesus College, Cambridge, returned the Okukor, a bronze cockerel sculpture. The same year, Germany’s then Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, repatriated 22 artefacts, acknowledging Germany’s “dark colonial history” and expressing a resolve to correct historical injustices. The Stanley Museum of Art at the University of Iowa, USA, followed suit in July 2023, returning a wooden carved mother hen and a brass plaque to Oba Ewuare II. In 2022, the German government returned two historically significant royal stools used in the coronation of Oba Eresoyen and Oba Esigie, dating back to the 15th and 17th centuries.
Sweden has also pledged to return 39 Benin artefacts in its museum collection to the Benin royal court. Commenting on the Netherlands’ recent restitution, General Director of Wereldmuseum, Marieke Van Bommel, called on other European nations to act. “The artefacts were looted, and we have a policy in the Netherlands to bring them back. We are returning 119. These are all we have. There are more in Europe, but that is not up to us,” she said.
Several organisations have pledged to support the full repatriation of looted Benin artefacts, particularly those held by the United Kingdom, which is believed to possess the largest collection of these historic treasures. Dr. Cory Gundlach, Curator of African Art at the University of Iowa, and the Richard Lander Society have both assured the Benin Monarch, Oba Ewuare II, that efforts are ongoing to ensure the return of artefacts scattered across museums in the United States and Europe. The Nigerian federal government, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, formalised its stance in an official gazette, declaring that all repatriated Benin artefacts must be returned to the Oba’s Palace. The gazette vested in the Oba the ownership, custody, and management rights of all returned pieces, underscoring the palace’s central role in preserving Benin’s cultural heritage.
However, the issue of where the artefacts should be publicly displayed has sparked controversy. While Oba Ewuare II advocated for a new Benin Royal Museum, former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki initiated the construction of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) through a trust arrangement, a move strongly opposed by the Benin Royal Palace. Although MOWAA’s construction continues, Oba Ewuare II has identified the Oba Akenzua II Cultural Centre—located near the palace on Airport Road—as the appropriate venue for the renamed Benin Royal Museum. Built during the regime of General Sani Abacha, the centre is now being revitalised to house the sacred artefacts. Receiving the 119 artefacts returned by the Netherlands, Oba Ewuare II revealed that divine intervention thwarted plans by international cartels to re-loot the objects, crediting his prayers to God and the ancestors.
According to him, “I thank President Bola Tinubu for supporting and committing to the efforts former President Buhari put in place to ensure the artefacts are not re-looted because there were groups in this country believed to be an international cartel that had all sorts of conspiracy to re-loot our artefacts. They stole and burnt our Kingdom.
They killed my people, their morale and try to kill their spirit and their morale. Today, I lament the fact that the people of Benin Kingdom, the boldness, courage and bravery is still there. Events of 1897 reduced that to significant level that sometimes when I see my people, they are afraid of the unknown.
“The return of these objects has reawakened the courage we had in our people. We do not want modern day politics; we do not want partisan politics to diminish the courage of our people. The Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments has been doing a wonderful work. His predecessor was part of the conspiracy to re-loot our artefacts. We had a running battle in this hall. I addressed my Chiefs in Benin language and I said these artefacts belong to my ancestors and I will not sit on the ancient throne and watch the artefacts re-looted.
They rather remain where they are than being re-looted. I thank the government of Netherlands for working with us. This is part of the efforts to reawaken the morale and spirit of my people.”
Receiving the artefacts, Oba Ewuare II said God and the ancestors answered his prayers against those that planned to re-loot the artefacts. Oba Ewuare II said there was an international cartel within the country that wanted to loot the returned artefacts. The Benin Monarch said he would not sit on the ancient throne of his ancestors and watch the returned artefacts re-looted. He said events of 1897 reduced the Benin Kingdom to significant level that killed the courage, bravery and morale of Benin youths. “The return of these objects has reawakened the courage we had in our people. We do not want modern day politics, we do not want partisan politics to diminish the courage of our people.
“After 1897, the kingdom was reduced. There was a government in this state that wanted to reduce the kingdom more and scatter it. I am angry when I speak about it. Why would anybody as we have managed to retain wanted to scatter it. The youths were courageous and liked the youths of those days. They were not afraid of anybody. I vowed that it will not happen. Not in my reign. Not while I am sitting on this throne. God heard my prayers, my ancestors heard my prayers. This throne is not partisan but I should support what is good for my people. I urge the youths to be tough and strong in the face of adversity. This is not for anybody else. It is for my ancestors.”
Governor Monday Okpebholo has promised that his administration would build necessary infrastructure to preserve the returned artefacts as well as collaborate with the federal government to improve the storage system for the artefacts. Edo people and the rest of the world are waiting for the official opening of the Benin Royal Musuem for the purpose of connecting to the history of an ancient empire.
