The University of Cambridge has formally transferred 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), marking a significant step in efforts to address the legacy of colonial-era dispossession.
The decision, announced on Monday, followed a formal request submitted by the NCMM in January 2022 for the return of artefacts taken by British troops during the 1897 sacking of Benin City. Cambridge said its Governing Council endorsed Nigeria’s claim, after which approval was granted by the UK Charity Commission.
The artefacts—largely brass cast works alongside ivory and wooden sculptures—were seized during the British “Punitive Expedition” of February 1897, which followed a violent trade dispute a month earlier.
According to the university, arrangements for the physical return of most of the objects will be concluded in due course. However, a small number will remain in Cambridge on loan and continue to be displayed at the MAA for public access, teaching, and research purposes.
Cambridge noted that the transfer aligns with similar restitution commitments by museums across the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe regarding Benin objects removed during the colonial period.
MAA is among several UK institutions that hold Benin artefacts and has engaged in years of research, dialogue, and collaboration with Nigerian stakeholders, including representatives of the Benin Royal Court, artists, academics, and students. Since 2018, MAA curators have undertaken study and liaison visits to Benin City, meeting with the Oba, members of the Royal Court, and state and federal officials.
The university also hosted meetings of the Benin Dialogue Group in 2017 and welcomed delegations from the NCMM and the Benin Royal Court to Cambridge in 2021.
Reacting to the development, NCMM Director-General, Olugbile Holloway, described the transfer as a major milestone 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, and it is our hope that this will encourage other museums to follow the same path,” Holloway said.
He added that the return of the artefacts goes beyond physical restitution. “For us, it also represents the restoration of pride and dignity that were lost when these objects were taken,” he said, while acknowledging the support of Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.
MAA Director, Prof. Nicholas Thomas, said the transfer reflected years of sustained engagement and an emerging global consensus on repatriation.
“It has been immensely rewarding to engage in dialogue with colleagues from the NCMM, members of the Royal Court, and Nigerian scholars, students, and artists over the last decade,” he said. “Support has continued to grow, both nationally and internationally, for the return of artefacts taken in the context of colonial violence.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the NCMM, which operates under the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, manages 53 museums, 65 national monuments, and two World Heritage Sites nationwide. Established in 1884, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is one of Cambridge University’s oldest museums, with collections spanning global cultural history, archaeology, and contemporary Indigenous art.
