The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, has officially received 119 looted Benin artefacts from the Netherlands, marking a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to recover Nigeria’s stolen cultural heritage.
The symbolic handover was hailed as both a spiritual and cultural victory by Oba Ewuare II, who expressed deep gratitude for the return of these invaluable treasures. He also commended President Bola Tinubu for his commitment in preventing attempts to re-loot the artefacts after they arrived in Nigeria.
This return contributes to the broader push by the Benin Royal Court and cultural advocates to retrieve thousands of Benin Bronzes and sacred artefacts taken during the 1897 British invasion of the Benin Kingdom.
While the repatriation has been praised, some Nigerians on social media are calling for transparency around the revenues generated by European museums that displayed the artefacts and demanding full restitution beyond mere physical return.
Others are celebrating this moment as a sign of a cultural renaissance, with calls for improved protection, preservation, and public access to the artefacts as national symbols of identity and pride.
