The Netherlands has revealed that it will hand over 119 Benin bronzes to Nigeria on June 21, 2025.
The development was shared by the Dutch Embassy in Nigeria, and an official further disclosed that the handover ceremony is scheduled for June 21 at the National Museum in Lagos.
The bronzes will subsequently be returned to the National Museum in Benin City, the capital of Edo State.
Per reports, the number of artefacts is believed to be the single largest to be returned to Nigeria. They were looted during the 1897 British colonial raid on Benin City.
The latest announcement comes after the ambassador-designate, Bengt van Loosdrech, said in February that the artefacts should never have ended up in the Netherlands.
He stated that Nigeria had been clamouring for the return of the bronzes for more than 50 years.