Switzerland Returns 23 Looted Benin Artefacts to Nigeria

Nigeria has received 23 cultural artefacts looted from the ancient Benin Kingdom, following their official return by Switzerland in a significant milestone in the country’s ongoing campaign to recover its stolen heritage.

The repatriated collection comprises 18 Benin Bronzes and five other culturally significant objects. The bronzes were returned by three Swiss museums after extensive provenance research and restitution processes linked to artefacts taken during the colonial era.

According to officials, the objects were looted during the 1897 British military expedition that led to the invasion and sacking of the Benin Kingdom.

The formal handover ceremony took place at the National Museum in Lagos, where the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) received the artefacts on behalf of the Federal Government. The event was attended by representatives of both the Nigerian and Swiss governments.

Of the 18 Benin Bronzes, 14 were returned by the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich, while the Museum Rietberg in Zurich and the Musée d’Ethnographie de Genève each returned two pieces.

Swiss authorities explained that the restitution followed thorough investigations conducted under the Benin Initiative Switzerland, which established that the artefacts had been unlawfully removed during the 1897 colonial military campaign.

In addition to the bronzes, Switzerland also returned five other cultural objects, including a historic bronze bracelet and four ancient monoliths associated with the Niger Delta region. The items had been held by Swiss authorities during criminal investigations before being cleared for repatriation to Nigeria.

The latest return adds to the growing number of Benin artefacts being restored to Nigeria by museums and institutions across Europe as efforts to address colonial-era injustices continue.