Sweden returns 39 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, 129 years after British forces looted them

News

By Linda Ikeji
13 November 2026, 11:55 am

Sweden has returned 39 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, 129 years after British forces looted 1000’s of cultural artefacts from the Benin Kingdom throughout the 1897 invasion.

The artefacts have been formally handed over to Nigeria at a ceremony in Lagos on Thursday, November 12, by representatives of Sweden’s National Museums of World Culture. They might be obtained by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).

According to The Art Newspaper, the objects have been amongst 1000’s taken by British troops who attacked and burned the Benin Kingdom earlier than incorporating it into the British Empire.

The returned assortment contains cultural objects often known as Emwin Arre. However, six of the 39 artefacts will stay in Sweden underneath a 10-year mortgage association.

Michael Barrett, curator for Africa at Sweden’s National Museums of World Culture, described the return as an necessary step in the direction of addressing the colonial-era looting of cultural property.

The restitution provides to ongoing efforts to get well Benin artefacts held by overseas establishments. The Netherlands returned 119 objects to Nigeria in 2025, whereas Germany handed over 20 Benin Bronzes in 2022.