Which famous West African artworks are being repatriated to Nigeria?
On 26 February 2025 Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments announced a joint protocol with the Oba of Benin that clears the last legal hurdles for the mass repatriation of looted Benin Bronzes. Under the deal, the commission—not foreign institutions—will catalogue and conserve every piece that arrives, while the palace retains ceremonial ownership. The first German shipment of 72 castings is now scheduled to leave Berlin in June, with further batches expected from the UK and the United States before year‑end. Curators in Lagos say a new climate‑controlled gallery at the National Museum will open in December to display the treasures alongside digital reconstructions of the 1897 British raid that stole them. Campaigners hail the accord as a model for decolonising collections, though lawyers warn that private collectors may still stall transfers with injunctions. For Nigeria, the return is both cultural victory and tourism play: officials predict visitor numbers could triple once the bronzes are back on home soil.
