Home at Last: Switzerland Returns 18 Looted Benin Artefacts After 125 Years

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, has received 18 Benin artefacts repatriated from Switzerland after about 125 years in foreign custody, describing them as priceless symbols of the Benin Kingdom’s history, governance, spirituality and artistic excellence.

The artefacts, which include an ancestral head of a Benin Oba looted during the British Punitive Expedition to Benin, were presented at the Oba’s Palace in Benin City by a delegation led by the Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Olugbile Holloway.
Receiving the artefacts, the monarch expressed appreciation to the Government of Switzerland, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the NCMM, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo and other stakeholders for their roles in facilitating the restitution.
“The Benin Bronzes are not curiosities. They are records of governance, spirituality and the artistry of the Edo people, taken by force. To delay their return is to continue dispossession by other means,” Oba Ewuare II said.
The monarch disclosed that the Benin Royal Court has now recovered more than 150 original looted Benin artefacts since his ascension to the throne. He noted that the campaign for their return began during the reign of his grandfather, Oba Akenzua II, while his father, Oba Erediauwa, received the first batch of repatriated artefacts after Oba Eweka II rebuilt the Benin Royal Palace destroyed during the 1897 invasion.
Oba Ewuare II urged the German government to fulfil the 2022 agreement for the return of more than 1,000 Benin artworks still in its custody. He also appealed to museums and institutions around the world holding looted Benin artefacts to help correct what he described as a longstanding colonial injustice.
The monarch commended former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting Nigeria’s cultural restitution efforts. He also praised Governor Monday Okpebholo and the Edo State House of Assembly for advocating the return of the kingdom’s cultural heritage.
In an emotional moment, Oba Ewuare II celebrated the homecoming by dancing around the returned artefacts.
Earlier, NCMM Director-General Olugbile Holloway said Swiss authorities demonstrated exceptional cooperation throughout the restitution process.
“Today, we have brought a total of 18 objects. Your Royal Majesty, as we promised, we remain committed to these artefacts. The issue of ownership has long been settled, and it is our hope that the National Commission for Museums and Monuments will continue to earn Your Majesty’s trust,” he said.
Also speaking, the Consul-General of the Swiss Embassy in Nigeria, Conny Camenzind, described the repatriation as a landmark achievement that reflects the growing cultural cooperation between Nigeria and Switzerland.