The Netherlands has returned a historic Benin artefact to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, 129 years after it was looted during the British invasion of the Benin Kingdom in 1897.
The artefact was formally presented on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at the Oba’s Palace in Benin City. The ceremony was part of the events lined up to celebrate the monarch’s 10th coronation anniversary.
It was handed over by the Consul General of the Netherlands in Nigeria, Frank Keurnorst, together with the Executive Director of Museum De Fundatie in the Netherlands, Beatrice van Bormann.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the 10th Coronation Anniversary Committee and former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Imasue, said the return was initiated by the Dutch authorities.
According to Imasue, the significance of the date cannot be overstated, as it marks a decade since Oba Ewuare II ascended the throne and over a century since thousands of royal objects were carted away from the Benin Palace.
He stressed that every Benin artefact, irrespective of its size or number, is the property of the Oba and remains central to the kingdom’s heritage. He added that the kingdom is expecting more repatriations in the coming months.
Imasue explained that the objects taken in 1897 were not mere artworks, but historical archives that documented the authority of the Oba, the governance system, and the way of life in the ancient kingdom before the invasion.
He noted that while the quest for restitution started under previous Obas, it gained renewed momentum under Oba Ewuare II, whose background as a former Nigerian ambassador helped drive international diplomacy on the issue.
He also said the Federal Government, through the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), has affirmed that the artefacts were removed from the Oba’s palace and should rightly be returned there.
The ceremony was attended by Edo State Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, and the Portuguese Ambassador to Nigeria, Paulo Santos.
In his remarks, Oba Ewuare II commended the Netherlands for the gesture and called for deeper cultural and historical ties between Benin Kingdom and European nations.
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