Nigeria has received 23 looted Benin Kingdom artefacts from Switzerland, marking another milestone in the country’s efforts to recover its stolen cultural heritage.
The collection includes 18 Benin artefacts returned by three Swiss museums, alongside five additional cultural objects that were previously seized by Swiss authorities.
The artefacts, commonly known as the Benin Bronzes, were looted during the 1897 British invasion of the Benin Kingdom. They include metal and ivory objects created at the royal court of Benin. The handover took place at the National Museum in Lagos, where the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) formally received the artefacts on behalf of the Federal Government.
During 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 an agreement on the transfer of cultural property, reinforcing cooperation between both countries to combat illicit trafficking and facilitate the return of stolen cultural items.
Of the 18 Benin artefacts, 14 were returned by the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, two by Museum Rietberg Zurich, and two by the Musée d’Ethnographie de Genève (MEG). The restitution followed years of provenance research under the Benin Initiative Switzerland, which confirmed the objects had been looted during the 1897 expedition.
Also returned were a bronze bracelet and four archaeological monoliths from Nigeria’s Niger Delta that had been confiscated during criminal investigations in Switzerland. The new bilateral agreement establishes a legal framework for cooperation on the import, export and repatriation of cultural property, while strengthening efforts to protect cultural heritage and prevent illegal trafficking.
Nigerian authorities said the returned artefacts represent an important part of the country’s history, identity and cultural heritage. Some will be displayed at the National Museum in Lagos, while most will eventually be returned to their place of origin in Edo State.
The restitution ceremony was attended by NCMM Director-General Olugbile Holloway, officials from the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, and directors of the three Swiss museums involved in the return of the artefacts.
