Culture
Cultural Heritage
The Benin Bronzes return to Nigeria as museums cede ownership in 2026
In 1897 a British punitive expedition stripped Benin City of roughly 5,000 artworks now scattered across the world's museums. In 2026 their return is accelerating: the Netherlands handed back 119 pieces, while Germany, Sweden, the Horniman and the Smithsonian have already ceded ownership of hundreds more. The British Museum, holding 900-plus objects, still refuses to deaccession, citing a 1963 law.