The University of Cambridge has announced the transfer of legal ownership of 116 Benin artefacts held at its Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) to Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), operating under a management agreement with the Benin Royal Palace.
The decision follows a formal request submitted by the NCMM in January 2022 for the return of artefacts taken by British forces during the sacking of Benin City in 1897. Cambridge University’s Council endorsed the claim, after which authorisation was granted by the UK Charity Commission.
While legal ownership has now been transferred, the physical return of most of the artefacts will be arranged in due course. A small number of the objects will remain on loan and on public display at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to support teaching, research and public access.
The move aligns with similar restitution commitments made in recent years by museums in the United Kingdom, the United States and across Europe.
The artefacts—mostly brass works, alongside ivory and wooden sculptures—were seized during the British ‘Punitive Expedition’ of February 1897, launched following a violent trade dispute the previous month.
As one of several UK institutions holding material taken from Benin in 1897, the MAA has for years engaged in collaborative research and dialogue with Nigerian stakeholders, including representatives of the Benin Royal Court, artists, academics and students.
Curators from the museum have undertaken study and liaison visits to Benin City since 2018, meeting the Oba of Benin, members of the Royal Court, as well as state and federal government officials and cultural leaders.
The University also hosted the Benin Dialogue Group in 2017 and received delegations from the NCMM and the Benin Royal Court in Cambridge in 2021.
Reacting to the development, Director-General of the NCMM, Olugbile Holloway, described the transfer as a landmark moment in Nigeria’s engagement with international museums.
‘This development marks a pivotal point in our dialogue with the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge’, Holloway said. ‘The return of cultural items is not just about physical objects, but about restoring the pride and dignity lost when they were taken’.
He expressed appreciation to Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, for her support, and commended Cambridge University for taking what he described as a positive step, expressing hope that other institutions would follow suit.
Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Professor Nicholas Thomas said the decision was the result of years of engagement with Nigerian partners and growing global support for the repatriation of artefacts acquired through colonial violence.
‘It has been immensely rewarding to engage in dialogue with colleagues from the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, members of the Royal Court, and Nigerian scholars, students and artists over the last ten years’, Thomas said, adding that the return enjoyed strong backing across the University community.
