Nigerian Government has demanded for “a full and unconditional” return of 1,130 Benin bronze artifacts that were looted to Germany in the 19th century.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made the demand recently in Germany, during different meetings with the German Minister of State for Culture, Monika Grutters, and the German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, where he was guaranteed that the looted artifacts would be “substantially returned”.
According to a statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Segun Adeyemi, Grutters was quoted to have said: ”The way we deal with the issue of Benin Bronzes is important to addressing our colonial past,” describing the issues as ”an important personal concern.”
Grutters assured Mohammed that the 1,130 Bronzes would be sent back to Nigeria from the beginning of 2022.
Gutters also said the fact that Germany had sent delegations to Nigeria twice for meetings over the imminent repatriation “is an indication that both sides have moved beyond mere talks”.
She made it known that every Museum that is holding Benin Bronzes in German has agreed to cooperate.
