London museum returns Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

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STORY: Location: London

London's Horniman Museum has returned 12 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria

The brass plaques are among Africa's most culturally significant artefacts

They were created from brass and bronze from at least the 16th century onwards

in the once mighty Kingdom of Benin, now southwestern Nigeria

The Benin Bronzes were looted from Benin City by British soldiers in 1897

and ended up in museums in Europe and the U.S.

African countries have battled for years to recover works pillaged by explorers and colonizers

[Abba Tijani, Director General / Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments]

"Well, thank you very much. This is really a great day for us, particularly for Nigeria, to see that for the first time in the United Kingdom that we are signing a transfer agreement of looted objects from Nigeria, you know, back to Nigeria, it is really a great step for us."

The returns are likely to increase pressure on the British Museum in London

which holds by far the largest and most significant collection of Benin Bronzes