Germany signs deal to return stolen Benin artefacts

Benin Artefacts

Germany has signed a deal that will see the return of about 512 Benin artefacts looted in the 19th century from the Kingdom of Benin, a former British colony now part of what is known as Nigeria, Reuters reports. The deal was signed on Thursday by German federal government body – Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage and Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

The artefacts, dating back to the 13th century, were looted by British soldiers and ended up in museums in Europe and the United States. About 512 objects will be moved from the Ethnological Museum collection in Berlin to Nigeria while a third of the treasures will remain on loan at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin.

“This represents the future concerning the artefacts issue; a future of collaboration among museums, a future of according respect and dignity to the legitimate requests of other nations and traditional institutions,” said NCMM’s Abba Isa Tijani.

Reuters