‘They destroyed our heritage’: Nigeria seeks compensation, return of artifacts looted by Britain

By Timothy Olanrewaju

ABUJA, Nigeria (AA) - In Nigeria, many are calling on Britain to pay compensation for the thousands of brass, bronze and ivory sculptures and carvings carted away from a famous kingdom in an invasion by British forces 127 years ago.

Nigerians said they are still outraged by the British invasion of Benin and the looting of thousands of treasured artifacts from the king's palace and heritage center in the country's southern region in 1897.

"It is purely one of the excesses of British expansionist agenda in Africa and part of the scramble for our resources," Benson Osadolor, a professor of history and international politics at the University of Benin in Nigeria's Edo State, told Anadolu.

In early February 1897, some 1,200 British forces led by a naval officer, Sir Harry Rawson, invaded the Kingdom of Benin, one of the oldest and most developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa at the time according to records, said Osadolor.

He said the Benin Empire was one of the most prosperous and largest economies in West Africa then. Benin was rich in ornaments, ivory, bronze, palm oil and valued artworks. The kingdom's economy reportedly motivated Britain to push for the expansion of the then Niger Coast Protectorate, a British colonial territory, and control of the resources through its Royal Niger Company.

"There is documented evidence even by Britain that it wanted to see the king during an annual festival and he was traditionally forbidden to see anyone. They wanted to force their way to see the king but were ambushed by the local soldiers.

“Many of them lost their lives, and that became the cause of the impunity of 1897," he said.

He said the British soldiers dethroned the king and carted away all of the monuments to the UK.

Paul Akanmodu, head of the history department at Federal University Oye-Ekiti, said the British colonialists were concerned about economic gains and viewed the king's unyielding posture as an obstruction to the growth of their commerce, hence the 1897 action.

- '4,000 Nigerian artifacts in European museums'

Over 4,000 artifacts taken from Nigeria during the colonial administration are in various museums and art galleries in many European countries, according to experts and historians.

Mayo Adediran, the former president of the International Council of African Museums, told Anadolu that 38 artifacts were discovered at a Swedish palace after an exhibition in the Swedish capital Stockholm in 2010.

"Directors of museums from various countries agreed at the time with the Swedish museum authority to repatriate the pieces to Nigeria after the exhibition, but nothing has been done since," he said.

He said another 28 pieces of Nigerian heritage were also sighted at a museum in the US city of Boston.

- Campaigns for repatriation

The movement for the repatriation of the looted artifacts from the UK and other European countries started in mid-2014, according to Adediran, who was then director of museums at the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

He said some Nigerians who attended an international arts exhibition in Austria in 2007 had identified scores of artifacts displayed as Nigerian cultural properties carted away from the Kingdom of Benin by the colonial masters.

"All directors of museums then started meetings and discussing ways for the return of these African valuables," he noted.

Adediran said three approaches were outlined for dialogue with concerned European nations to start the process of repatriation.

He blamed the Nigerian government however for not doing enough to seek the commitment of the UK and other nations still holding the Nigerian monuments.

- Few bronzes returned

Two bronze cockerels from Benin were returned to Nigeria in 2021 from the hall of Jesus College in Cambridge, UK following protests by the college students' union.

Information from the National Commission for Museums and Monuments also indicates that a few pieces of sculptures have been surrendered to Nigeria by some Germans in the last decade.

But Olaide Nasir, a senior university lecturer on arts and culture, believes the number of artifacts returned so far are negligible. He urged other nations holding onto African artifacts to release them to their original owners.

Ojo Aigbogidon, a medical doctor from Benin, described the invasion of the king's palace and looting as a violation of African culture. He said many locals in the area still live with the trauma of the “inhuman treatment” of their forefathers by British soldiers during the 1897 invasion.

"They destroyed our heritage, its value. Britain should not only return the remaining artifacts but also pay compensation for the years these valued items have been with them, generating income at their museums, galleries and exhibitions," he said.

For Aigbogidon and many Nigerians, the claim that the looted artifacts were war booty was unacceptable.

"The action was unjustified, and only restitution could clean up British activities in Nigeria during the colonial era," he said.

Writer and retired journalist Victor Izekor urged the British government to fast-track the repatriation process.

“Those bronzes were not mere artifacts, but our heritage. They are our history, world view and what defines our ancestral origin. This is why we ask for justice,” he said.​​​​​​​