Cambridge University transfers legal ownership of 116 Benin artefacts to Nigeria

The University of Cambridge has announced the transfer of 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).

The NCMM will operate under a management agreement with the Benin Royal Palace.

The decision follows a formal request submitted by the NCMM in January 2022 for the return of artefacts taken by British forces during the 1897 sacking of Benin City. Cambridge University’s Council endorsed the claim, and authorization was subsequently granted by the UK Charity Commission.

While legal title has now been transferred, the physical return of most of the artefacts will be arranged in due course.

A small number of objects will remain on loan and on public display at the museum to support teaching, research, and public access.

The move aligns with similar restitution commitments made in recent years by museums in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe.

The artefacts, which include brass works, ivory, and wooden sculptures, were seized during the British “Punitive Expedition” of February 1897.

As one of several UK institutions holding material taken from Benin in 1897, the MAA has for years engaged in collaborative research and dialogue with Nigerian stakeholders, including the Benin Royal Court, artists, academics, and students.

Museum curators have undertaken visits to Benin City since 2018, and the University hosted the Benin Dialogue Group in 2017.

Reacting to the development, the Director-General of the NCMM, Olugbile Holloway, described the transfer as a landmark moment.

“This development marks a pivotal point in our dialogue,” Holloway said. “The return of cultural items is not just about physical objects, but about restoring the pride and dignity lost when they were taken.”

Professor Nicholas Thomas, Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, said the decision was the result of years of engagement with Nigerian partners and growing global support for the repatriation of artefacts acquired through colonial violence.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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