Nigeria receives 100 looted artefacts from the Netherlands

THE Netherlands at the weekend officially handed back to Nigeria 119 precious ancient sculptures, stolen from the former kingdom of Benin more than 120 years ago during the colonial era.

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It is the latest return of artefacts to Africa, as pressure mounts on Western governments and institutions to hand back the spoils of colonial oppression.

Nigeria celebrated the return of the priceless "Benin Bronzes" - metal and ivory sculptures dating back to the 16th to 18th centuries — with a ceremony held at the National Museum in Lagos, showcasing four of them in the museum's courtyard.

The selection included a bronze carving of a king’s head, a carved elephant tusk and a small leopard.

In the 19th century, British troops stole thousands of Benin Bronzes in the then-independent kingdom of Benin, in the south of present-day Nigeria.