The Netherlands has introduced it can return 119 Benin bronzes to Nigeria on June 21, 2025. In keeping with the Dutch Embassy in Abuja, a handover ceremony will happen on the Nationwide Museum in Lagos, after which the artefacts can be transferred to the Nationwide Museum in Benin Metropolis, Edo State’s capital.

These 119 items characterize the most important single batch of Benin bronzes ever slated for repatriation to Nigeria. They had been taken through the 1897 British colonial raid on Benin Metropolis and have remained in Dutch collections till now.

In February, Dutch ambassador-designate Bengt van Loosdrech acknowledged that these artefacts “ought to by no means have ended up within the Netherlands.” He famous that Nigerians have been requesting their return for greater than 50 years, and this June’s repatriation marks a step in addressing that long-standing demand.