Nigeria has taken delivery of 23 looted Benin Kingdom artefacts from Switzerland, marking another significant step in the country’s ongoing campaign to recover its stolen cultural heritage.
The returned collection comprises 18 Benin artefacts repatriated by three Swiss museums and five additional cultural objects that were previously confiscated by Swiss authorities.
The artefacts, widely known as the Benin Bronzes, were looted during the British invasion of the Benin Kingdom in 1897. They include bronze, metal and ivory objects produced at the royal court of Benin. The official handover took place at the National Museum in Lagos, where the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) received the items on behalf of the Federal Government.
As part of the ceremony, Switzerland’s Federal Councillor, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, and Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, signed a bilateral agreement on the transfer of cultural property. The agreement is aimed at strengthening cooperation between both countries in tackling the illicit trafficking of cultural objects and facilitating the return of stolen artefacts.
Of the 18 Benin artefacts, 14 were returned by the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, while Museum Rietberg Zurich and the Musée d’Ethnographie de Genève (MEG) each returned two. Their restitution followed extensive provenance research conducted under the Benin Initiative Switzerland, which confirmed that the objects were among those looted during the 1897 British expedition.
In addition to the Benin artefacts, Switzerland also returned a bronze bracelet and four archaeological monoliths from Nigeria’s Niger Delta that had been seized during separate criminal investigations.
The newly signed agreement provides a legal framework for collaboration on the import, export and repatriation of cultural property, while enhancing joint efforts to preserve cultural heritage and combat illegal trafficking.
Nigerian officials described the returned artefacts as invaluable symbols of the nation’s history, identity and cultural legacy. While some of the objects will be displayed at the National Museum in Lagos, the majority are expected to be returned to their place of origin in Edo State.
The restitution ceremony was attended by NCMM Director-General Olugbile Holloway, representatives of the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, and directors of the three Swiss museums that facilitated the return of the artefacts.
